Oversight In Judgement T RATED VERSION
by DivaLola
Summary: After finding out Zach's bad, B & B go to a local bar to drown their sorrows. Bones wakes up in bed w/Booth, but leaves him still asleep. With Booth never knowing they had sex, what happens to their partnership/friendship? B/B
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own "BONES" or any of the characters from it. However, I wish I owned Seeley Booth (or David Boreanaz)… either would do! LOL!

**SUMMARY**: After discovering Zach is Gormagon's apprentice, Temperance "Bones" Brennan is devastated. Booth and "Bones" go out to a local bar to drown their sorrows. Bones wakes up before Booth. When Booth wakes up he's alone and has no idea he ever slept with Brennan. With Bones knowing what happened and keeping it from Booth, what will this do to their partnership….not to mention friendship? Will they finally end up together? B/B, Hodgela.

**CHAPTER 1**

The air in the room was numbingly cold. Still in the state between sleep and awake, Temperance pulled the blankets closer to her body, snuggling deeper under the duvet. She could snuggle as far under the covers as possible, but she was still going to be freezing. In the end, that's what woke Temperance from the best night of sleep she'd had in a long time. As she struggled to open her eyes, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd slept so soundly. As one eye opened to the dark room, she realized that yes, she might have slept well, but now awake, she felt like shit. Tempe squeezed both eyes shut, trying not to concentrate on the nauseated feeling in her stomach and the funny metal taste in her parched mouth. Slowly opening both eyes, she brought her left hand to her head. _"Hopefully this is as bad as my headache will get. On top of my stomach, I just can't handle a migraine,"_ she thought.

Once both eyes were open, she finally noticed that it was practically pitch black in the bedroom. _"That's weird. The sun usually comes through my window a small amount in the morning. It's never this dark,"_ she thought. Wondering the time, she turned to her left towards the alarm clock on her nightstand. One problem. There was no alarm clock. Yes, there was a nightstand, but it looked different. _"Probably the darkness, "_ she assumed. In place of where her alarm clock usually sat, was a framed photograph of a curly-haired, little boy. "He looks familiar," Tempe whispered to herself. As if someone had just shot out from a closet scaring her, she jumped straight up, the blankets pooling around her waist causing her to shiver. She knew that boy. It was Parker Booth, her partner's son! _"What the hell is a picture of Booth's son doing on my nightstand? That's not rational!" _she thought extremely confused. Contemplating the picture, she suddenly realized her teeth were chattering. "Why is it so cold in here? It feels like the air is set to 60 degrees. It should be at a comfortable 68 degrees," she softly said to herself as she began pushing the covers back. Walking across the carpeted floor she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to fight off the chilly air. Feeling only skin underneath her hands instead of her long sleeved fabric sleep shirt, her eyes widened. She looked down at her body discovering that she was completely naked. No bra, no panties_. "Where are my clothes? I never sleep natural… well unless I've just had sexual intercourse with a man,"_ her mind was racing. Walking across the room to adjust the temperature, she stubbed her toe as she tripped over something. As Temperance took a large step in an attempt to balance herself and keep from falling, her uninjured foot stepped on something cold, hard, and somewhat pokey sending her tumbling to the carpeted floor. "Ow! What the…?" she cried out crumpled on the ground, rubbing her feet. Tempe's heart stopped (or at least she felt like it did) when she heard a deep, male-sounding, voice groan. Not having any recollection of inviting a man to her home the previous night, she stayed out of sight on the floor until she heard his deep, even breaths, signaling he'd succumbed to sleep.

Kneeling on the floor, she poked her head up, straining to get a glimpse of the stranger in her bed. As the man's face came into view, her nausea increased. Not only was the man not a stranger, but she was also not in her bedroom. "Well, that explains some things," she whispered. She'd never been in this part of his house, so she took advantage and looked around from her spot on the floor. It was nicely decorated in a sort of modern style. It was then she noticed what exactly caused her to trip only moments before. "So, that's what it was!" she thought to herself as she stared at his shirt strewn a few feet away. She sighed irritatingly as she glared at his belt and belt buckle, realizing this is what brought her crashing to the floor.

Deciding it was best to get the hell out of there, she began slowly and quietly crawling around on the floor looking for her clothes. She'd been able to find everything… well almost everything. As Temperance continued scurrying around searching for her missing articled of clothing, her panties, she heard him begin to stir. Knowing she had to be out of there before he woke up and saw her, she forfeited her panty search. _"If I couldn't find them, he mostly likely won't either. If he does, I'm sure he's a very sexual person, so hopefully he won't know whose panties they are. Either way, he won't know their mine since he's never seen them,"_ she rationalized in her head as she slipped her socks and shoes on. _"Won't he know they're yours because of last night?" _her subconscious argued. _"He might suspect, but I'll never claim them. It'll be fine!" _she told herself.

Finally dressed (well, minus her underwear), she slowly stood up and eyed the room, searching for her purse. With it nowhere in sight, she thought, _"The rational place it would be is the living room." _Reaching the door that separated his bedroom from his living room, she turned around and glanced at him one last time._ "How could I let this happen? Well, given your current physical state, I'm guessing you got extremely inebriated last night. That's no excuse to… to… to do THIS!" _she argued with herself again. Her eyes were beginning to water with the thought that their partnership and friendship was now ruined. _"Well there's no actual evidence that we had sex. Sure, both our clothes were scattered around the floor, but that could just mean that we participated in foreplay. Yes, that's definitely what happened. If we had had sex, I would remember! And if I don't remember, maybe he won't either."_ She thought, trying to calm herself down. Tempe left his room in search for the last item she needed in order to leave.

Temperance found it lying on the ground near his couch. Leaving, she opened his front door and stepped out, realizing that it was not morning, but the middle of the night. The moon still shone brightly in the sky. As she closed his door, she whispered, "Bye Booth" and began walking towards the street in search of cab wondering what Monday would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own the show "BONES" or any of its characters

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**NOTE**: I hope this isn't to graphic for this rating. There is a fine line between the M-Rating and T-Rating, at least in my opinion. Please let me know! I got a lot of hits and alerts, but** NOT ONE** REVIEW. I think that's why it took my so long to post this new chapter. When I get reviews it makes me want to stay up all night and flake on all my obligations to write more! Just letting you know! Also, it lets me know if I'm doing a good job or not! So,** PLEASE REVIEW**!!! Thanks a bunch!

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**CHAPTER 2**

As Camille, sat outside his apartment waiting for Brennan to leave, she went over the details of the horrible night. _How could this have happened to me? Things were finally going well with Seeley. We were gonna work out this time!_

**FLASHBACK…**

They'd all gone to the bar, O'Malley's Pub, that night. Seeley, Angela, Hodgins, Dr. Brennan, and herself, Camille Saroyan. Regret, despair, sadness, and betrayal hung in the bar's air, suffocating each and every one of them. All they could think about was Zach. How had they missed it? Could they have treated him differently, maybe better? Although knowing it wasn't healthy, each one of them began drinking, drowning their sorrow in alcohol. At the bar. Booth and Dr. Brennan sat huddled together on one side of the booth they were sharing. Booth in the middle, Brennan on one side, Camille on the other. He was too preoccupied with his "Bones" to even utter more than a sentence at a time to Camille. At the time, everyone figured Booth was so worried about Bones that he didn't want her out of his sight, worried that she was blaming herself for Zach. _I mean we're dating! Well sort of. It might be a secret, but he can at least treat me as a friend… a GOOD friend. I mean he knows I'm upset about Zach too, but he's acting as if I'm not here._ The longer they were in the bar and the more Seeley Booth drank, the closer he scooted towards Brennan and the more he fussed over her. With every small noise, sigh, and movement she made, he became more focused and attentive. Reading into every thing she did or said…. or didn't say. After drinking a few beers over the course of an hour or so, they left O'Malley's and walked the block and a half to a club, Oxygen. None of them had ever been to it, but no one was ready to go home and be alone with their thoughts.

By the time they made the unanimous decision to leave O'Malley's and head down the street to Oxygen, Booth had had 5.5 beers, Brennan 3.5 (he'd chugged the last half of her 4th beer before they walked out, not wanting to waste it), Angela 3, Hodgins 2, and Camille 3. Brennan was giggly and, now in Camille's eyes, flirty as they headed for their new destination. Her "boyfriend" and Brennan walked behind Angela and Hodgins, but ahead of her. They were huddled together, sharing inside jokes and laughing. At the time, she just figured they needed to laugh, that it was their way of dealing with what had happened. She, Camille, lagged behind, feeling like the 5th wheel.

As they approached the entrance to the club, Booth grabbed Bones hand guiding her over the uneven threshold as he held the door open. At the time she didn't think much of it, but now his behavior reminded her of the way he acted on a date. Once Bones was safely inside he let go of the door, accidentally slamming it in her face.

**PRESENT...**

_At the time I thought it was accidental, that it didn't mean anything. I couldn't have been more wrong!_

**FLASHBACK...**

Camille opening the door herself and stepping in the club alone, frown on her face, had caught his eye. Seeley sent an apologetic look towards her, mouthed "I'm sorry", then finished it off with his gorgeous charm smile. The same one that caused her to go weak in the knees. That's his way of apologizing in this situation and I get that. _Unfortunately, it's not as if he can run over and passionately kiss me since no one knows we've been seeing each other. _After all, it wasn't Dr. Brennan that would be going home and receiving his full and undivided attention in bed. It was her, Camille Saroyan. The woman he always came back to.

With Dr. Brennan being somewhat of a celebrity these days, they were taken to the lavish VIP area, where they were given their own table. She immediately felt strange, somewhat out of place. On one of the table's cushiony black leather benches sat Hodgins and Angela, practically in each others laps, stealing kisses every few seconds. Booth and Brennan sat on the other bench, his arm resting behind her head as they laughed and joked, occasionally reminiscing about cases. Basically, only things the two of them knew about. Cam sat on the only black leather chair at the table… alone.

After getting settled, Brennan had bought a round of flaming shots for them all. This was the last bit of alcohol Camille had. She was too busy watching her "boyfriend" and Brennan together.

After two more rounds of various shots, Brennan was drunk and Seeley in between extremely tipsy and drunk. He reached out for "his Bones", pulling her up and dragging her to the dance floor. _She's gotta be drunk! Look at her! She would never be this free with him if she were sober. But then again the same goes for him too!_ The dance floor was packed with people, some drunk, some not. The extremely wasted people were easy to spot, as they clumsily moved about. In reality they were falling all over the place, bumping and knocking into people, however, in their eyes they were rocking out! Brennan and Booth joined the crowd. There were so many people on the floor that she wasn't able to see them at all times. The darkness and brightly colored strobe lights didn't help matters. Her eyes would occasionally find them only to lose them once again; this vicious cycle seemed to last hours, at least that's what it felt like to her. The two best friends were completely pressed up against each other, not even a centimeter of space remained between them. Brennan's arms were wound tightly around his neck, effectively pulling his face closer to hers. It didn't look like Seeley minded at all, his arms were wrapped around her lower waist, his hands almost on her butt. The alcohol had rid them both of their self-consciousness and hesitancy they'd both always felt in situations like these; in other words, the alcohol had erased "the line" they'd drawn between themselves years ago… and they didn't even realize it was gone. Their lower extremities pushed up against one another, grinding in perfect harmony to the beat. With their eyes locked, not once did either look away from the other, they danced, smiling seductively at one another.

She couldn't stand it anymore. There she sat, Hodgins and Angela in their own little world, watching the love of her life pressed against the woman he had feelings for but would never admit to. Camille couldn't continue to watch. She saw Brennan whisper something to Seeley. He nodded in understanding and she headed towards the restrooms. His hands lingered on her skin until she was completely out of his reach. With Brennan in the bathroom, Seeley approached their table, smile upon his face and looking a million miles away. However, it didn't take long for him to snap out of his reverie.

Noticing Camille's downcast face and furrowed eyebrows, Booth sat on the edge of the table directly in front of her. While waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, he stopped a waitress passing by and ordered another two rounds of shots. When he was done, he looked towards her and found her almond brown eyes shining up at him. "What's wrong? Aren't you having fun?" he'd asked her, smile still glued to his face.

"Um yeah…" she lied, "I just can't stop thinking about Zach. It's making it hard to really let loose and have fun."

His hands resting on her bare knees, he asked, "Do you need some help?" He slowly began walking his fingers towards the hem of her skirt.

She couldn't help but smile. With just that look from him, she was turned on. Throw in his wandering hands and she had to keep herself from jumping him right there and then. "You know? I think I do!" she leaned towards him.

"Well there's no way I want you sitting her sulking. Let's see what I can do to help," Seeley said as he too leaned forward, but not before quickly and nervously glancing around; a gesture not unnoticed by Cam. Their lips met in a passionate, wet kiss. As they pulled apart, Camille used her teeth to bite and suck on his bottom lip. "Feel better?" he smirked.

"Much! What would I do without you?" she flirted, batting her eyes.

"Be sad," he answered. Booth suddenly realized that Bones wasn't back yet and a concerned, worried look replaced his smile. "I wonder what's keeping Bones. I told her I'd meet her back at the table."

No sooner had he said that did he see Bones heading towards the VIP area attempting to push through the many intoxicated clubbers. He thought about going and helping her, but their shots arrived.

As he passed them out to everyone, he heard, "Did you get one for me?" Brennan took him by surprise as Booth hadn't realized she was directly behind him.

He turned around, faced her and teasingly questioned, "You sure you can handle more?"

"Of course! How could you ask me such thing? I do everything excellently, that includes drinking!" Brennan grinned, beginning to slur her words.

"Alright then Queen of Excellence! Here ya go!" he handed her two shots. "You gotta take them back to back! One right after the other!"

"I know what back to back means Booth!"

_Queen of Excellence_, Camille thought._ Wow they really are trashed!_

"Ok everyone! You ready! Come on Cam, pick up your shots! We're gonna drink together on 3!" Seeley said to her. Seeing she still didn't have shots in hand, "Come on! You're holding everyone up!"

"I'm done drinking. You know what everyone? I'm really tired. It's been such a long few days," each one of their faces dropped at her brief mention of the last few days. "I think I'm going to head home. I'll see you on Monday!"

"What? Cam, are you sure?" Seeley asked. Even drunk he was amazing at reading people. He knew she was lying, again, and that something was bothering her, still.

"I'm positive Seeley. You guys have fun! Be safe!" she waved goodbye to everyone and headed for the door. Seeley was hot on her heels.

He grabbed Camille's arm, twirling her towards him. "What are you upset about? I know it's not just Zach, so don't even try it." An irritated Seeley was in her face. His hot breath tickled her skin, reeking of alcohol. She wasn't used to seeing him this intoxicated. Yes, he drank alcohol, but only a beer here or there, rarely did he drink enough to get tipsy or drunk.

Taken aback by his tone, Camille said, "I'm fine. The last few days have been hell. I mean Seeley, how did I not know Zach, my employee, was working with a cannibal? I just have so much running through my head right now. I thought I could forget everything and just have fun tonight, but I have too much on my mind," she wasn't exactly lying. This was all true, she just didn't include everything that was bothering her. "We'll all do this another time, ok?" she asked, eyes wide while rubbing her hand down his amazing bicep.

He smiled. "This wasn't your fault Camille. Don't even start thinking like that. You know, I'm here if you need to talk?"

"I know. Why don't you call me when you leave the club and I'll come over?" she asked, flirtatiously batting her eyes.

He knew she didn't want to come over and talk, she wanted him… all of him. "Yeah. That sounds great! I'll definitely call."

Camille turned to leave, but not before peaking over his shoulder at the rest of their colleagues. Completely wasted, Brennan spilled something and was doing her best to clean it up. Angela was helping, or trying to, as they both hysterically laughed. Hodgins was no where in sight, so she assumed he was either getting more drinks or in the restroom. She really hoped it was the latter. "Bye Seeley" She leaned forward to kiss him goodbye only for him to turn his head away.

"Not here Camille. I don't want them finding anything out. I'll see you tonight." Seeley was suddenly standoffish.

She nodded, hurt. _What the hell? He kissed me earlier in front of Hodgins and Angela!_ Cam walked towards the exit only to be stopped by Booth. "You okay to drive?"

She thought about lying and saying no, thinking he would take her, but then remembered how drunk he was. There was no way he could drive. "I'm completely fine. Please make sure you take a cab home. There's no way you can drive. Or give me a call and I'll come get you."

He winked and turned around, somewhat enthusiastically and goofily skipping towards Brennan.

Camille walked the block and a half to her car, which was parked in front of O'Malley's Pub. Sitting in the driver's seat, safely secured by her seat belt, she pondered her next move. She had a bad feeling. Should she go home? Part of her regretted leaving the club, now having no way of knowing what was going on in there. Quickly Cam made a decision; she started the engine and drove back towards Oxygen. She parked outside and watched. This way, she at least could see them leave.

Hodgins and Angela had exited the club approximately thirty minutes after she did. It was obvious they'd been drinking… seriously drinking. Laughing, Angela had stumbled her way to the nearest cab, while a weaving Hodgins did his best to make sure she didn't fall.

Forty-five minutes later, Booth and Brennan still hadn't left. Camille was getting impatient, not to mention concerned. They were alone in there... together… and no doubt completely wasted. Scenarios, that she'd rather never think about, were racing through her mind.

Finally, an hour and a half after she'd left and an hour after Angela and Hodgins left, she saw Brennan and Booth tumble out the door. Brennan fell on the cement hysterical, while Booth laughed on. He did his best to help her stand, but his best was pretty awful. Every time he almost had her on her feet, he'd somehow drop her. They were both sloppy drunk. _Can they even get home okay?_ Eventually, after five minutes of trying, Seeley got Brennan to her feet. They were completely pressed against each other trying to stay balanced. They chuckled and arm in arm began walking down the sidewalk to a waiting taxi.

Camille saw Seeley run and stumble ahead of Brennan in order to be a gentleman and hold the cab door open for her causing her to jokingly curtsy. Before sliding in the cab, she leaned and kissed him on the cheek. _She's just thanking him for being a gentleman._

**PRESENT...**

_How stupid I was to think that! Dr. Brennan hates it when he does stuff like that, so why would she have been thanking him? You're so naïve sometimes Cam!_

**FLASHBACK...**

However, luck wasn't on her side that night. She watched in horror as Seeley grabbed Brennan and descended hungrily on her lips. _Okay, one kiss. No big deal. They're drunk! Get in the cab and go home Dr. Brennan. That's enough. Stop it, he's mine! _Eyes wide and jaw dropped, she sat hunched in her car as they passionately made out, practically devouring each other. One of Seeley's hands was tangled in her hair, the other playing with the hem of her shirt. Brennan's hands were latched on his belt. Whether for balance or a precursory move for events to come, Cam wasn't sure. She only knew she was furious. She was debating getting out of her car and going over to them when Booth pushed Brennan in the cab and slammed the door behind him.

While following the cab, she couldn't see either of them, which meant they were laying down in the back seat, fooling around.

As the cab pulled up outside Booth's building, she watched the partners exit and begin walking towards his apartment. They couldn't keep their hands off one another. Their lips appeared to be glued together as they tripped along the path to his door. A few feet before Booth's door, he pushed Brennan against the stucko wall as his hand slowly disappeared up her skirt. After a few seconds, Brennan's head tipped back, her mouth open. It was obvious Booth didn't just have his hand on her thigh. What exactly he was doing to her, she didn't want to know as she watched Brennan reaction, her fingers laced in his short brown hair. His mouth was busy kissing her neck, slowly working its way south. After a few minutes of the public display, he grabbed Brennan and pushed her against his door while he tried unlocking it. As the two friends disappeared into his apartment, she saw a quick glimpse of him starting to remove Dr. Brennan's shirt.

Camille sat in shock, tears rolling down her face, staring at the closed door. Deep down, she knew what was happening behind it. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. Getting her hopes up, she thought _Maybe Dr. Brennan won't go through with it. I mean, she isn't the type of woman to do something like this. They'll probably make out for awhile and then she'll leave._ Praying this was the case, she stayed sitting in her Lexus, waiting for Dr. Brennan to leave.

**(end of flashback…)**

**PRESENT…**

An hour went by, then another one. As Camille began dozing off, she heard a door close. Looking at Seeley's door, she saw an obviously upset Dr. Brennan exiting. Taking in her appearance, Camille noticed her blouse was inside out. It seemed her clothes had been hastily thrown on as they were twisted and wrinkled. The Temperance Brennan leaving Seeley Booth's apartment was a far cry from the usual Dr. Brennan, the one who was extremely hard to read and very put together. Camille was not the only one crying. As Brennan walked down the street trying to hail a cab, Cam noticed her shoulders shaking from what she could only imagine were sobs.

Cam waited for Booth to chase his precious "Bones". Minutes after Brennan had disappeared down the street in a cab Booth still hadn't exited his apartment. She looked to the windows and noticed every room seemed completely dark. From prior experience, Camille knew that Booth passed out after having sex, especially the few times he'd been drinking. Since he had been 100% trashed, Came was positive he was still asleep. _Oh my God! Dr. Brennan snuck out!_ The realization of the situation hit her and she jumped out of the car as if it were on fire. She was going to take full advantage of this predicament. Given how drunk both were when they left the club, there was a definite possibility their memories would be affected.

Camille had left some important files at Seeley's a few days prior and he had given her a key to run to his place and retrieve them. He had been at a crime scene and couldn't go himself. Lucky for her, she still had his key. She entered his place as quiet as a mouse. Cam saw his shoes in different parts of the living room. It was obvious that the second Seeley and Brennan entered, clothes were discarded and thrown about haphazardly. Walking towards his bedroom she took her shoes off, scattering them around the living room as if she had been the one with him instead of Brennan.

Inside the bedroom, she saw him fast asleep, smile on his face with only his naked, well-toned chest visible. Looking around she saw his clothing sprawled all over the floor. Careful not to trip on anything, she threw her articles of clothing in various parts of the room. As Cam approached the bed she stared around the room, _Good! It looks like we came home and couldn't keep our hands off each other! If he remembers anything with Dr. Brennan, hopefully he'll think it had been only a dream!_ With that, she slid into his bed nude. Feeling the slight movement, Seeley reached out and pulled her close to him. _This just might work!_ she thought, huge grin in place and fingers crossed.

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I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and like the story so far!!! How about you guys let me know! So....................................................................................................

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER****:** I do not own the TV show "BONES" or any of the characters in it. However, I do own my imagination!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I am so sorry that it has been soooo long since I have updated anything!! Don't hate me! Things have been incredibly crazy in my life! This semester school has taken up all the time I usually have for writing, which is so unfortunate because I miss it so much! However, school will be done in 2 weeks and then everyone will have a TON of updates... on all my stories! Plus I'll be starting a new one! YAY!

Again, just a quick reminder.... all thoughts are in _italics_.

Also, I have never written a T-Rated story, so please someone let me know if anything is too graphic for the T Rating and I will make the alterations!

Thanks so much everyone for your patience! Please enjoy!

xo

L

Previously in Chapter 2:

_Inside the bedroom, Camille saw Seeley fast asleep, smile on his face with only his naked well-toned chest visible. Looking around she saw his clothing sprawled all over the floor. Careful not to trip on anything, she threw her articles of clothing in various parts of the room. As Cam approached the bed she stared around the room, Good! It looks like WE came home and couldn't keep our hands off each other! If he remembers anything with Dr. Brennan, hopefully he'll think it'd been a dream! With that, she slid naked into his bed. Feeling the slight movement in his sleep, Seeley reached out and pulled her close to him. This just might work! she thought, huge grin in place and fingers crossed._

CHAPTER 3

Hoping to find a cab, Temperance walked down the pathway leading from Booth's building to the street. Her mission was interrupted as images from that night flew into her brain so fast she thought she was having a seizure. She suddenly remembered getting out of a cab in front of the very building she was standing in front of… however, she was not alone. Tempe lightly touched her lips as the image of Booth and her kissing while stumbling towards his apartment came to mind. As she turned around glancing at Booth's door once more, she remembered being pushed against the wall near the apartment's entrance. Temperance began sobbing as she recalled Booth's skilled hand turning her on. She had enjoyed it. Actually, more than enjoyed it. Leaning against the building's wall, she had her first orgasm of the night.

A cab passed by and seeing her standing on the curb, stopped. "Excuse me miss? Do you need a ride?" he asked her.

It took a second or two to shake the images from her mind and focus on the man in front of her. "Umm… yes, I do. Thank you so much!" she finally replied.

The entire cab ride to her apartment, Temperance silently sat, mind running a million miles an hour. _Oh my God! What have I done? What have WE done? If I can barely remember what happened… or only some of it, will he remember? Do I even want him to remember? There's already so much going on right now with Zach, I really need Booth to be there. He's my rock! Of course, I would never tell him that. No matter the situation, he's always able to find a way to make me feel better! This stupid thing we did tonight can't affect our relationship… or our partnership! It just CAN'T! I won't let it… well I'll sure try not to let it change us._ Temperance thoughts were interrupted by the cab driver. In fact, it had taken him nearly five minutes to get her attention and let her know they'd arrived at the address she'd given him.

After paying and tipping the driver, Tempe thanked him and walked slowly to her apartment, mind off in the clouds. Once securely inside her home, she felt free and safe to let the tears she'd been trying so hard to hold inside fall. The second the door closed behind her, emotion burst from within her as a strangled cry escaped her mouth. Purse still in hand, Tempe gradually slid down her front door sobs wracking her body as she crumbled into a puddle of devastated and heartbroken flesh and bones. Rationally she knew she shouldn't be so upset, but her body somehow didn't care. As hard as she tried she couldn't get control of her emotions. _Why am I so upset? It's not like I haven't participated in sexual intercourse before._ Even with this thought running through her head, she couldn't stop her tears. In fact, she was crying so hard that she was beginning to hyperventilate. _Why? Why can't I stop crying?_ Her sub conscious answered her. _Because you're in love with him. Ya know? Your partner? Seeley Booth! You've never lost yourself over anyone else like this, including Sully. You've slowly fallen in love with Booth without even realizing it. Admit it! You LOVE him!_ She had no idea where this came from. She did not love Booth! He was her partner, her friend! Not her lover, or boyfriend… or anything in that category. _I do NOT love him! We're just partners, friends at most. Nothing more!_ she told her subconscious.

Knowing she couldn't sit on the floor the rest of the night and into her day off, Temperance decided it was time to clean herself up. Normally on a day off, she would either go to the lab and catch up on paperwork, identify decades, sometimes centuries-old human remains, or work on her next book. However, today was different. She felt absolutely dreadful; her body ached from dehydration while her head felt as if someone had repeatedly hit it with some hard object. She wondered if the homicide victims murdered by blunt force trauma to the head felt the same pain and discomfort she felt….well, had they lived that is. There was no doubt that she was hung-over. Actually, it was the worst hangover Temperance had ever had. She wasn't a huge drinker. In fact, it was rare if she ever had more than 2 glasses of wine at one time and that was not a nightly occurrence. Thinking it over, she didn't think she got "drunk" more than once a year, usually on New Year's. When she said "drunk", she didn't mean losing her balance or equilibrium and falling all over the place, but instead she'd find herself giggly, happy, and incredibly honest. And she sure as hell had NEVER blacked out and not been able to remember things the following day.

Slowly walking towards her bedroom, Temperance grabbed her throbbing head. This was a completely new feeling for her, one she never wanted to experience again. Stepping foot into her room, another set of images flashed before her. She saw Booth and her pulling and tugging at each other's clothes, trying to rid themselves of the offending articles as fast as possible, as if in a race. Her shirt came off, quickly followed by her pants, leaving her wearing only her tan underwire bra and black cotton underwear. Of course, she couldn't have been wearing a sexy, lace bra or panties, but regular, very plain unattractive undergarments. Something an older woman would wear. In some of the images that were now coming back, she began undoing Booth's "Cocky" belt buckle then swiftly pulling his slacks down causing them to pool around his ankles. The entire time, their lips were fused together as they kissed. The only times they separated was to help the other when removing their tops, but this only lasted seconds. Every move and action they made was rushed. _I guess that's what happens when you're drunk!_ she thought. _No, that's what happens when two people deny their love for each other for too long and when they finally express it, they can't contain themselves_. Her subconscious countered. _Why do I keep arguing with myself? There's only one of me!_ _Either I'm losing my mind or I'm still drunk._

_I can't remember the last time my stomach felt so horrible Maybe taking a shower or some kind of bath will help._ With a hand gently cradling her stomach, Temperance sat on the edge of her bed to facilitate taking off her shoes. Just as she placed her right foot over her left thigh to unzip her boot, she received another onslaught of memories from hours before.

They were no longer standing in the room like she saw in the previous memory, but instead she was lying on her back in the middle of the bed with Booth hovering over her. Underwear on, they picked up a perfect rhythm while he continued his rushed, but passionate kisses. She had never experienced that kind of want or need before. It was overpowering. She moaned, sliding her hand in the waistband of his boxer-briefs and pulling them down. Booth assisted her by kicking them off his ankles. He followed her lead by slowly sliding her panties down her long legs. She couldn't remember exactly what happened after that moment. The only thing she could remember now was the moment they "became one". She finally understood what Booth had been trying to explain to her that evening in the diner after their extremely odd case involving S&M "horsie play". Tempe remembered letting out a cry of not only pleasure, but pain as well. However, Tempe didn't care much about the pain, only about the unbelievable pleasure. She had never felt such bliss and they had just begun. Booth's head bent down and he started kissing her as they continued to become one.

It was this memory, of them having sex, that caused the nausea to increase. Quickly she jumped off her bed, running towards her bathroom to empty what little was in her stomach. Fifteen minutes later, bile in the toilet, she laid curled up on the floor sobbing. _We didn't just fool around, we actually slept together… and I mean that in a sexual way!_ Temperance continued to cry until no tears would fall. It was then and only then, that she picked herself up off the tiled floor and jumped in the shower promising herself that she'd act like nothing happened. In fact, she would never think of the incident again. It was as if she had pressed an "erase" button on her brain.

Seeley Booth groaned as the sun began hitting his eyes, making his headache worse. _What the hell? I always close the curtains before I go to bed, especially if I have the next day off_. He was especially pissed this morning because he had had the best dream of his life earlier in the night and ever since, had been trying to get back to it. In his dream, Booth had been having the most mind-blowing sex of his life with his "Bones", something he had wished and prayed for practically since they'd first met. Swearing under his breath, he left the warm comfort of his bed and walked to the window to shut his curtains. As he stumbled across the carpet, he began feeling the full force of his hangover. _Damn, I really got plastered last night. _Scratching his head, he wondered_ How the hell did I get back here? _Once at the window, he realized he was 100% naked. He didn't even have his boxer-briefs on. _However the hell I got home, I guess I wasn't alone. _Praying that it hadn't been a dream, he looked to the other side of his bed, hoping Temperance was lying there. _Damn, I guess it was a dream. The most vivid dream I've ever had, but still a dream._ His eyes did not fall upon Bones, but instead landed on Cam, which wasn't a very rare occurrence the past few weeks. They had begun hooking up again after he'd been shot, but that's all it was, hooking up, which was why he'd never mentioned it to any of the squints, especially Bones. There was nothing to tell. Cam was someone to be with to curb his loneliness. Sure, he cared for her, but only as a friend.

Once the sun was no longer shining in his bedroom, he looked around the clothes strewn floor for some underwear. Successful, he put some pants on and climbed back in bed. After all, he was still exhausted and today was his day off. Not to mention, he felt like terrible. Before succumbing to sleep, he looked to his left one last time, disappointment written on his face. _Why did it have to be a dream?_ With that last thought, Booth fell back to sleep desperately trying to find his way back to the best "dream", or what he believed was a dream, he'd ever had.

**PLEASE REVIEW!! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THOUGHT…. GOOD OR BAD!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "BONES" or any of the characters on the show.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! When I get so much feedback it makes me want to update sooner! So... give me your thoughts!

Don't forget that anything in _italics_ is a thought! If you have any questions or if something isn't clear.... just ASK!

The next chapter will be when Booth and Bones see each for the first time since sleeping together. You will all find out if he will remember or not and whether Temperance will say anything! It's almost finished! I hope you all enjoy this!!

xo

L

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**-Previously in Ch.3-**

**Once the sun was no longer shining in his bedroom, he looked around the clothes strewn floor for some underwear. Successful, he put some pants on and climbed back in bed. After all, he was still exhausted and today was his day off. Not to mention, he felt like shit. Before succumbing to sleep, he looked to his left one last time, disappointment written on his face. Why did it have to be a dream? With that last thought, Booth fell back to sleep.**

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**Chapter 4**

All Booth wanted to do on his first day off in three weeks was lay on his couch, watch TV, and hopefully, at some point, be able to see his son, Parker. It was Sunday… he worked so hard throughout the week and most weekends that he felt he deserved to be able to sit around on his ass, maybe even naked if he was in the mood. For practically his entire life he always felt lazy on Sundays. He always assumed it was the vibe of the day and the atmosphere it created. Ever since he could remember, Sundays were days where people attempted to get last minute things done before the start of the next work week or tried to chill out in an attempt to recuperate from the previous work week; kids were finishing last minute homework before the next school week started or getting their last few hours of playtime in, whether that be riding their bike in the street or playing some sort of sport.

The day was not going the way he'd envisioned and hoped. It was proving difficult to do what he wanted with Camille around. She was acting extremely strange and incredibly clingy. They normally wouldn't hang out or act domestic. Usually when they hooked up or had sex that was it. No cooking breakfast for each other naked the next morning and definitely no all-day, weird, awkward cuddling on the couch. The most domestic it ever got between them on these mornings was when she'd grab a banana or a piece of toast while running out the door usually on her way to the Jeffersonian. That he understood; it was fine! I mean a person does have to eat! That was the extent of their relationship outside of work and that was fine with him right now. It was exactly what he needed… at least from her. Seeley knew that the two of them would never end up together. His heart belonged to someone else; something Seeley Booth was realizing more and more everyday.

"What do you want to do today Seeley?" Camille asked sauntering towards him wearing only the button up shirt he'd discarded on the floor the previous night.

His gaze never left the TV as she plopped in his lap and began kissing his neck. "Actually, I have plans to spend the day with Parker."

Not exactly what she wanted to hear, but at least he hadn't asked her to leave or mentioned spending the day with Dr. Brennan. "That sounds wonderful. I always enjoying seeing Parker and it's definitely been awhile since I last spent some time with him! What do you want the three of us to do? Go to the park? See a movie? Ooo I know! What about going to the zoo?"

_What? Did I invite her and not realize it?_ Camille and Booth were friends and had been for nearly 15 years. Seeley didn't want to hurt her feelings or upset her. His hangover was bad enough, the last thing he wanted to deal with was a freaking out, pissed off woman. "Actually Cam, it's been weeks since I've gotten to spend some good, quality, father-son time with Parker. And you know how rare it is that Rebecca lets me see him. I was kind of hoping that it would just be the two of us today." He said it as nice as he could without beating around the bush. Seeley watched as her face dropped and a mixture of anger and disappointment clouded her eyes. "Please don't be upset Camille. As it is I see you more than I do my own son. You can't blame me or get upset because I want to spend some time with him!" Booth gently said as the fingers on his left hand lightly made their way from the back of her head down the middle of her back while his fingers from his right hand carefully tucked a few loose strands of dark hair behind her ear.

Avoiding eye contact, she quickly stood up, "Of course Seeley, I understand. It has just been so long since we both had a day off, let alone an entire weekend, that I was just really looking forward to spending some time with you. You know, just the two of us? Especially with everything that's been going on the past few weeks. That's all." Inside, she was panicked. _Maybe he does remember that he slept with Brennan and not me? Wouldn't he have said something though? Yeah, he definitely would have. He must be telling the truth. He just wants to spend time with his son. Stop being so paranoid Camille. You know he never gets to see Parker, so it's only logical that that's what he'd want to do on his first day off in weeks._

"Yeah babe. I know! But you and I spend a lot of time together!" he smiled.

"But that's at the lab Seeley! I mean I want to spend some time together, just the two of us, outside of work!" she annunciated the end of her sentence, her eyes pleading. _I mean really, how can he resist my pleading, puppy dog eyes? And if that isn't enough, it should help that I'm only wearing his dress shirt, which only has two buttons buttoned. And when I say only wearing his dress shirt, I mean ONLY… I left my panties in his bedroom._

"What do you call last night Camille?" he smirked while slowly rubbing from her knees and up her thighs.

_Oh thank God!!! He has NO recollection of sleeping with his "precious Bones"! Ha… she must suck in the sack! This means I can check this issue off my list of things to worry about! _Camille Saroyan could not have been happier in that moment, knowing now that it was highly unlikely Booth would remember sleeping with Dr. Brennan. Knowing Dr. Brennan, Cam knew she wouldn't bring the topic up to Booth as long as he didn't. _In fact, she's probably FREAKING out right now! Most likely she'll play a game of avoidance with him come Monday at work. _This thought made her even happier as she scooted a bit closer to him, close enough for him to realize she had no underwear on. Their eyes now locked as realization of Cam's commando state dawned on him. She watched as his eyes darkened to an almost black with lust and passion…. _Lust and passion are better than hate and loathing. Love will come. I'll just have to work a bit harder for it! But damn is he worth it!_

Cam leaned forward, catching his lips with hers while her fingers busily worked on untying the knot on his sweatpants. _I'm going to make sure I'll be the only one on his mind from now on_ she thought as she shimmied his pants down his legs. _However, I am going to make him work a little for this! _Camille began her teasing game. "Come on baby. Stop teasing. Let's do this. You know how I hate to wait!" Booth complained while trying to end her game.

"Shhh. I know baby… but not yet!" she purred while lightly slapping his arms to get him to stop rushing. Camille wanted to torture him, wanted him to have the time of his life! _Oh God this feels good…, but I don't know how long I can handle this_ he thought. Passion overcame him as he grabbed hold of her shirt and ripped it off.

"You know you could have just unbuttoned it…now you ruined it!" she giggled as scattering buttons bouncing and rolling every which way could be heard.

"I know, but I wanted it off… NOW!" he growled, his gazed fixed upon her chest.

"Did you forget it was your shirt I was wearing?" she questioned, trying not to let the euphoria she was experiencing make her give up control on their little "love war."

"Who cares, now shut up!" he smirked, his sparkling eyes filled with mischief.

"Hey! That's not…. Uhhhh, wow!" She was interrupted by intense feelings of pleasure. _I'm so close to getting the upper hand_, Booth thought. He was right as she finally gave up.

Booth knew instantly the second she lost control over the situation. _Perfect! I can't stand anymore torturing. _Taking advantage he moved them sideways on the couch and quickly pushed her down on the soft fabric while climbing on top. _If I don't do this, I'm going to lose it! I NEED this… no, no I HAVE to do this! _As he looked into Camille's eyes something happened. Something he didn't do on purpose. He no longer saw Camille staring back at him, but his partner, Temperance, instead, effectively causing his emotions to spiral out of control. It was as if Booth had lost complete control of himself and his actions the second he "saw" the crystal blue eyes staring up at him. He used his knees to violently nudge her legs further apart and then without warning took her roughly.

"Ow! What the hell Booth?" Cam shrieked. _Sure it feels amazing, but he never is this rough or starts without asking._ He was too wrapped up in his fantasy and didn't hear her protest. She looked questioningly into his eyes and saw something she had never seen before. Love. Love was glancing back down at her and suddenly it no longer mattered that he tried to split her in two only seconds before. He loved her! Hell, NOTHING mattered now. This was what Cam had always wanted since the first time they met. _I knew I'd have to work at it, but I never thought all it would take was a little teasing on my part. Wow, he loves me! _Her eyes became glassy with unshed happy tears.

As he glanced down at his "BONES" (well, really Camille) it felt as if they were floating, surrounded by fog. It was the weirdest feeling. _God, this feels so familiar. Like déjà vu. But I've never slept with BONES. I mean, COME ON, I would definitely remember that! _ His brain was running a million miles an hour as his moans filled the air. He was just about there, "You know I've always loved you right?" he whispered to "BONES" as their eyes locked.

Cam was floored. _What the hell has gotten into him???_ _I mean I don't mind at all that he finally has come around, but he was reluctant to even hang out with me earlier and now he's declaring his love for me? _However a little voice inside her head spoke up _Who the hell cares?! The man you've loved FOREVER just told you he has always loved you… it's what you've always wanted, so don't question it! _Gazing into his almond colored eyes, she was getting close. With the moment already amazing Cam wanted them to finish together. That would change this moment not just amazing, but PERFECT. _You're right! He loves me!_ "I love you too Seeley!"

As she proclaimed her love to him, the beautiful face of his partner faded away revealing Camille. He couldn't help but be disappointed and furious with himself as he realized that he had been imagining and fantasizing about making love to BONES while he was having sex with Camille. He felt so dirty, like complete and total scum.

Camille could see the change in his eyes immediately. The love shining down on her disappeared as quickly as it appeared. _What the? I don't understand. What is with him today?_ Something was definitely wrong. Before he could really have time to analyze the situation and his stupid actions, both finished. _Thank God I didn't yell out Bones name! _he thought.

"I love you so much Seeley!", Camille said, still slightly out of breath. He couldn't meet her eyes. How could he?? _She thinks I love her! Damn! I was telling Temperance, not her. I could never love Camille like that. I thought she knew that! _Seeley Booth was beginning to panic; the room felt smaller. He suddenly felt like he was cheating on Bones. He needed to get away from Cam. As he began to try and stand up Cam reached out, effectively stopping him. She pulled him back not wanting this moment to be over quite yet. "I want to savor this as long as possible!" she whispered after quickly kissing him.

This only made him feel worse. Booth wanted to scream. He wanted to cry! How could he screw up this bad?? _Well at least this is as bed as it can get! What should I say to her? Should I tell her the truth?_ He didn't want to hurt Camille. He was freaking out and upset enough at this moment without having to deal with her going crazy and getting angry. Dammit! He was angry at himself enough for the both of them! _I can't deal with this now. I just have to get her out of here so I can have time to figure out how I'm going to handle this whole situation!_ "I know beautiful, but I have to pick up Parker at 1 and it's already noon and I still need to take a shower!" he lied as he tried to escape from her grasp.

As disappointed as she was Cam reluctantly relinquished her hold on him, allowing him to sit on the couch. "How about I join you for your shower?" she smiled seductively. She placed her left leg on his lap as he sat with his shoulders slumped forward.

_Ugh! Can't she take a f*cking hint?? I DON'T WANT HER HERE!! I DON'T LOVE HER!! God!!!_ As angry and frustrated as he was, it wasn't visible or obvious as he gently rubbed her calf and said, "You know what happens when we take a shower together. I'll never make it to Rebecca's. We'll get sucked into our own little world and as wonderful as that sounds, I really want to see my son!" Seeley forced a small chuckle from within. How? He had no idea.

Camille giggled as her mind wandered to memories of their showers together. "That's true. You'd never make it!" With that said, she popped up naked from the couch, kissed him, and sauntered towards his bedroom. "Well then, I'm going to get dressed and get outta here so you can get ready without any distractions."

"Thanks Cam," he mumbled as he pulled his sweats back on. He didn't even attempt to sneak a peak at her as she walked fully nude to his room, which bothered her. _What's his deal? _

Just as she was leaving his room fully dressed, his phone rang. As he reached for his cell he didn't know whether he wanted it to be work or not. He desperately wanted to see Bones, but at the same time he didn't think he could look her in the eye after what just happened with Cam. _Why do I feel so guilty? It's not like I cheated on her! We aren't even together!_ "Booth" he growled into the phone.

As Cam made her way down the hall all she could hear was a bunch of "mm hmm's" on Seeley's part. She really didn't want it to be a new case. She was hoping that he wouldn't see Dr. Brennan for a few days, which, with any luck, would diminish the risk of him remembering their little "tryst" last night. She inwardly sighed as she reached the couch. She could tell by Booth's demeanor that it was in fact work and yes, there was most likely a new case.

"Alright sir. Yes, I'll call her. Bye," Booth hung up with a sigh. Rubbing his hands over his face he groaned, "Son of a bitch!"

"New case I take it?" she questioned.

"What gave it away?" he snapped.

"Whoa! Don't take it out on me, I'm not the one who called you in on your day off!" she defensively replied.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry" he glanced over to her apologetically. "I just really wanted to see Parker. He is going to be upset when I call and cancel again. I had to cancel last week because of the whole Gorgonzola case and Zach going crazy and I promised that it wouldn't happen again!"

"He'll understand Seeley. Don't worry. You know he sees you as a superhero, fighting and catching the bad guys and saving the world! I mean anyone can see how proud he is of you just by the way he looks at you. You have nothing to worry about!" Camille did her best to cheer him up.

"What about Rebecca? I'm pretty sure I should worry about that! If I cancel every time I've promised to come see him, she's going to stop giving me visitation." He stood up, hands on his hips.

"She would never do that. She knows what an amazing father you are and that all little boys need their father."

He was silent for a moment as he just stood there. "Yeah. Well, I've gotta call Bones, take a shower, then pick her up. So, uh…I'll see you later," he mumbled finally breaking the silence.

"Oh, right! Yeah, I'm sure I'll see you later today at the lab!" She walked towards his front door, Booth following. She stopped, turned around, her hand slipping from the doorknob. "Don't worry about Parker. Everything is going to be fine!" She leaned forward hugging him.

"I know. Thanks," he said, not believing one word of it. _Everything's so messed up!_

She moved to kiss him, but he dodged it and the kiss landed on his cheek. _Oh k! That was weird! _ "Ok, well I'll see you later! Be careful and … I love you, don't forget!"

"Yeah…um….you too," he mumbled feeling extremely uncomfortable, not to mention even worse as the words escaped his mouth. With that said she flashed him a pearly white smile and left.

"Finally!" Booth growled reaching for his cell phone on the coffee table. He plopped down on his couch fingering his cell. "What the hell am I going to say to her?" _It's not like you cheated on her! Stop feeling guilty. You should only feel guilty about telling Cam you love her. But you and Bones are fine! _"That's right! She and I are fine!!" With newfound confidence he opened the phone and hit speed dial 1.

"Come on Bones! Answer the phone!" It rang and rang and rang some more before it went to voicemail. "What the hell??" Booth hung up, not leaving a message, and dialed again. Worry began to bubble in his stomach as he listened to her phone ring and ring with no answer so he began looking for a jacket or shirt, some shoes and his keys. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong! "She always answers her phone! She even answers when she's having sex!" As he hung up, he glanced at his watch. "She is definitely up by now!"

Fully dressed and looking for his keys he called her again. Phone up to his ear, keys now in hand, he jogged out his door and to his car. However, this time when her voicemail came on he left a message. "Bones! Are you okay?? Why aren't you answering the phone??? We have a new case! But now who cares about that! Something must be wrong! You always answer your phone! Well, hold on because I'm on my way. I should be there in 10 minutes! Um… ok. Well, bye!"

As he hung up for the 3rd time Booth was so panicked that he flipped on the siren, breaking numerous laws and protocols by doing so, and raced to her apartment. Of course, he continued calling her the whole way. Arriving in an impressive 7 minutes (a new record for him), he bolted from the car and sprinted in the building. Not wanting to take the time to wait for the elevator, he ran up the stairs, his long muscular legs taking them two at a time.

Running so fast down the hall, he almost passed her door. Through his gasps for air, Booth pounded on her door. "Bones! Come on! Open up! Temperance, are you ok?" His mind was racing, horrible scenarios running through his mind.

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Remember to **REVIEW**.... good or bad... **I WANT YOUR THOUGHTS**!


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "BONES" or any of the characters.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay! A new chapter!!! Hope you enjoy! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll have the new chapter because it makes me want to write so much when I know people are actually reading it!

Again, _thoughts are italicized_ and **flashbacks are bold**.

Thanks a bunch for reading! Not to mention the reviews and kind words!

Enjoy,

L

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-**Previously in Ch.4-**

"**Finally!" Booth growled reaching for his cell phone on the coffee table. He plopped down on his couch fingering his cell. "What the hell am I going to say to her?" **_**It's not like you cheated on her! Stop feeling guilty. You should only feel guilty about telling Cam you love her. But you and Bones are fine! **_**"That's right! She and I are fine!!" With newfound confidence he opened the phone pressing speed dial 1. **

"**Come on Bones! Answer the phone!" It rang and rang and rang some more before it went to voicemail. "What the hell??" Booth hung up, not leaving a message, and dialed again. Worry began to bubble in his stomach as he listened to her phone ring and ring with no answer so he began looking for a jacket or shirt, some shoes, and his keys. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong! "She always answers her phone! She even answers when she's having sex!" As he hung up, he glanced at his watch noticing the time. "She is definitely up by now!"**

**Fully dressed and looking for his keys he called her again. Phone up to his ear, keys now in hand, he jogged out his door and to his car. However, this time when her voicemail came on he left a message. "Bones! Are you okay?? Why aren't you answering the phone??? We have a new case! But now who cares about that! Something must be wrong! You always answer your phone! Well, hold on because I'm on my way. I should be there in 10 minutes! Um… ok. Well, bye!"**

**As he hung up for the 3****rd**** time Booth was so panicked that he flipped on the siren, breaking numerous laws and protocols by doing so, and raced to her apartment. Of course, he continued calling her the whole way. Arriving in an impressive 7 minutes (a new record for him), he bolted from the car and sprinted in the building. Not wanting to take the time to wait for the elevator, he ran up the stairs, his long muscular legs taking them two at a time.**

**Running so fast down the hall, he almost passed her door. Through his gasps for air, Booth pounded on her door. "Bones! Come on! Open up! Temperance, are you ok?" His mind was racing, horrible scenarios running through his mind.**

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**-Previously in Ch.3-**

**It was this memory, of them having sex, that caused the nausea to increase. Quickly she jumped off her bed, running towards her bathroom to empty what little was in her stomach. Fifteen minutes later, bile in the toilet, she laid curled up on the floor sobbing. **_**We didn't just fool around, we actually slept together… and I mean that in a sexual way!**_** Temperance continued to cry until no tears would fall. It was then and only then, that she picked herself up off the tiled floor and jumped in the shower promising herself that she'd act like nothing happened. In fact, she would never think of the incident again. It was as if she had pressed an "erase" button on her brain.**

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**CHAPTER 5**

Temperance stood under the stream of water, mind wandering, for nearly 15 minutes before she began washing her hair. She couldn't believe she could have been so stupid as to sleep with her best friend, partner, and the only person she truly trusted. To say she was angry with herself was an understatement. She was BEYOND angry. She was so angry in fact that she felt she needed to create a new adjective to describe her level of anger.

_I mean how could I let it get that far? Sure I'm mad at Booth, but he can't help it. He's a man; he was just following his biological urges. When their hormones kick in they tend to think with their penis and not with their brain. Add alcohol into the equation and they don't stand a chance._

Tempe stepped out of the shower, reaching for her robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Without bothering to completely dry off she wrapped herself in its white, soft, and fuzzy material and headed for her living room. Her stomach still felt awful and although she hadn't really slept in nearly 24 hours she definitely wasn't tired. Even if she was there was no way she'd be able to get any sleep. There was too much on her mind right now. After making herself a quick cup of chamomile tea, in hopes that it would help settle her stomach, she sat on her couch staring straight ahead. Tempe's mind ran over and over the events of the previous day up until the last thing she could easily remember. She tried her best to recall EVERYTHING from last night, but couldn't; she also hadn't gotten anymore flashes of what had occurred between Booth and her.

Before she knew it it was 11am. Brennan had returned home a little after 4am. Even though her stomach still didn't feel well, in fact she had vomited another 2 times since her shower, and her head was throbbing she decided she was going to head into the lab to get some work done although it was her day off. Walking down the hall towards her bedroom she clumsily crashed her elbow into the wall. Letting out a small shriek from the pain, she grabbed her wound rubbing it gently. As her funny bone throbbed another memory revealed itself to her. **The two partners were passing through his living room making out, their hands hastily roaming each other while they tripped toward his bedroom without breaking contact. As they stumbled down the hall leading to Booth's room he couldn't control himself and suddenly pushed Bones up against the wall causing her to hit her elbow. Although it hurt she didn't say anything, not wanting to stop what they were doing for even a millisecond. However, her guilt-ridden partner broke contact with her, "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" he asked, his apologetic eyes filled with concern. Booth reached for her arm, gently cradling it in his masculine hands while lightly running his fingertips over the injury.**

"**No, don't worry. I'm fine. The olecranon is made to be strong and withstand a great amount of force and trauma," Tempe rattled off. He chuckled. "What?" she smiled.**

"**Here we are fooling around and you still manage to run off facts about bones!" he continued to laugh effectively making her blush.**

**She bowed her head mumbling, "I'm sorry," under the impression he was making fun of her.**

**Placing his hand under her chin, he lifted her head up to meet her eyes. "Don't be sorry Temperance. I wouldn't want it any other way," Booth replied earning him a smile. He began running his fingertips lightly across the soft porcelain skin of her cheek. "By the way, what exactly is a olecranon?" he asked smiling.**

"**The olecranon is the tip of our elbow. I believe many people refer to it as the funny bone." Tempe answered followed by a giggle. She just wanted to go back to their previous activities. She had now kissed Booth and knew what it felt like to have his full and undivided attention on her in a sexual way and she never wanted anything else from him. Just this. **

"**Why couldn't you just say funny bone?" he laughed. Tempe began to open her mouth to speak, but was halted by Booth putting the tips of his fingers over her luscious lips. "Nevermind. Forget I asked."**

**Just to make sure Bones knew just how sorry he was he bowed his head placing small, soft kisses on her elbow. Before he knew it she pulled his head up, attacking his lips with her own.**

By the time the flashback was over tears glistened down her pasty cheeks and before she knew it she was running back to the bathroom. Bursting through the door, she forcefully dropped to her knees and began vomiting in the toilet. She was too busy dry heaving that she barely noticed the unbearable pain in her knees and legs from the way she fell to the floor. She threw up the small amount of tea she had been able to keep down earlier leaving nothing in her stomach. After all she had nothing left in her stomach to throw up. "Ugh, I am NEVER drinking again. This is awful!" Feeling slightly dizzy, she rose slowly keeping her right hand on the sink next to the toilet to steady her. _Well, I am definitely going to have bruised knees. There might even be swelling later_, she thought while gently running her fingertips over herself for the first time since arriving home Temperance looked at herself in the mirror as she stood in front of the sink. She looked absolutely awful. Her face was pasty with a slight greenish tint to it and her usually gorgeous blue eyes appeared murky and dim swimming in a sea of red due to the excessive amounts of tears she'd shed. Her face also appeared a bit puffy and swollen from the weeping she'd done over the last few hours. Her lips were shriveled and dry looking slightly chapped, "probably from dehydration," she whispered to herself before licking them in an attempt to add some sort of moisture. Her normally beautiful brown hair was a mess since she hadn't brushed it after her shower. It had dried in a funny manner, various strands of hair sticking out every which way, not to mention the fact that it was going to prove challenging to now get a brush through it. Something caught Tempe's eyes, diverting her attention from her face. "What is that?" she asked as she leaned towards the mirror tilting her head slightly to the left in an attempt to get a better look. Her right hand came up gently moving strands of hair away from her neck that were making it difficult to see. "OH MY GOD!!" she shrieked. Staring back at her in the mirror was a very large and prominent, not to mention dark and noticeable, hickey. Standing there gawking at it, Temperance couldn't remember the last time she had received a hickey. Actually, the more she thought about it, she didn't think she had EVER been given one. She was always under the impression that adolescents were the ones that gave each other hickeys and she'd be lying if she said that boys lined up wanting to fool around with her and give her a hickey when she was a teenager. "How old am I?" she sighed becoming even more ashamed of her actions the previous night. Wondering if she had any others, she let her snuggly robe slowly slide down her body. Taking in the sight of her battered and bruised naked body she whispered in awe, "Wow, he must be very wild and physical during sexual intercourse." Her body was covered with scratches, hickeys, and bruises. She had a couple hickeys on her breasts, some scratch marks on her arms, a light bruise in the shape of a hand (she assumed to be Booth's) on each of her biceps, _probably from being pushed against the wall_ she thought, and numerous deep scratch marks on her back. Also on her back were a few light bruises she assumed she had again received from being pushed against objects such as the wall. As her eyes traveled down her body, she noticed that her legs were covered in bruises. On her shins, her knees, and even her inner thighs were various shades of bruising. Knowing what she did about the human body, Tempe knew the bruises were going to get much darker and noticeable and most likely much more painful. "Well I guess I'll be wearing long sleeves and pants for a few days," she sighed.

Seeing the evidence on her body from the partners encounter the previous night brought overpowering feelings of shame, regret, and fear. She felt so dirty. _How could I have let this happen? _she thought as she turned on the shower. As irrational and illogical as she knew it was, she hoped that she could wash away her feelings with another shower. Just as she was about to step in she heard her phone start ringing. Upset and naked, she ran to her room to answer it. Seeing that it was Booth, the tears returned. She sat there sobbing and staring at the caller ID. _He's probably calling because he woke up alone. He wants to talk about it. I just can't do that. I'm not ready! It's just too soon. I need some time alone to try and sort everything out before I even think about having a conversation about it with Booth! Dammit! I barely even remember what happened myself, how can I talk about it with him!_ After listening to her phone ring and ring and ring, Tempe decided against answering assuming Booth would get the hint and give her some much needed space. There was no way she wanted Booth to know she was crying, let alone crying over him. Walking back towards her bathroom the voicemail chime never sounded signaling he hadn't left a message. "Must not have been too important then if he didn't leave a voicemail," she told herself while the tears continued to fall. Jumping into the shower, she didn't hear him call back again… and again.

This time Tempe was much quicker in the shower. There was no dawdling. Although the occasional tears still found their way out of her eyes, she had a new found determination. She was NOT going to let what happened between them last night change anything about their relationship. She needed Booth too much right now for her to lose him. Tempe was still shocked over Zach's behavior; in fact she believed it hadn't completely hit her. Part of her still expected to see him Monday at the Jeffersonian. She needed Booth to help her through this; of course, there was no way she'd ever tell him that! While stepping out of the shower she let out a small giggle as she thought about what he'd say if she indeed told him she needed his help getting through Zach's betrayal. Picturing it some more she concluded, "I believe it would be better, not only for me but for our entire team, if he never knew. He would most definitely be obnoxious and gloat!"

* * *

Trying to catch his breath, Booth leaned over, his hands on his knees and his mind racing. "Where the hell is she?" Still a bit out of breath, he fished around in his pockets for his keys. Keys in hand he searched through them for the house key she'd given him months before in case of an emergency. "This is an emergency, right?" he said to himself. "Of course it is. She could be in there unconscious from hitting her head or something!" The thought made his blood run cold and his face pale. An image of her lying on the floor, blood seeping from her head and pooling around her popped into his mind. In an attempt to rid himself of the image, he literally shook his head hoping it would fall out. If he wasn't panicked before, he most definitely was now as he jammed the key into the lock. Just as he was about to turn it, he had an idea, "Maybe she's at the lab. I didn't try her there yet. I mean she's normally at work at this time of day even on her days off." This thought relaxed him. _How did I not think of that sooner? What kind of cop am I? _Disappointed with himself, he dialed her office number praying and hoping he'd be greeted by the sound of her beautiful voice. After the 4th ring, the worry began to creep back. After the "beep" on her voicemail sounded, the panic returned. Slamming his phone shut with such frustration and force almost caused him to send it flying against the door.

"WHERE ARE YOU BONES?" he growled running his hand through his already messy hair.

* * *

Already dry, Temperance slipped her robe back on and walked towards her sink. Running her tongue along her teeth she felt a fuzz-like layer causing her to cringe and reach for her toothbrush. _That's what vomiting numerous times, ingesting a large amount of alcohol, and not brushing your teeth before bed will do to you_ she thought as she vigorously brushed her teeth making sure to get them as clean as possible. Once she spit and rinsed, she grabbed her hairbrush, the vivid image of her unbrushed hair still crystal clear in her mind. Just as she was finishing up, her eyes widened. "What was that?" she questioned having sworn she heard a loud noise. Hearing it again, this time much louder, she exited her bathroom. Tiptoeing slowly down the hall, Tempe peaked around every corner searching for the source of the noise. Not hearing it again, she relaxed sighing in relief.

"That's weird," she whispered. Just as Temperance was about to return to her bedroom to get dressed she heard the familiar scratching noise of a key in a lock. Whipping around towards her front door she unconsciously pulled her robe tighter around her and reached for the closest object: a nearby spatula. As the doorknob gradually turned she nervously nibbled on her lip hoping she wasn't going to have to beat anyone up in her robe. _That would be quite difficult. Plus, I don't feel very well. Getting in a fight is one of the last things I want to do right now. Well that and seeing Booth._

As the door opened and revealed her intruder, anger consumed her. "What the hell are you doing breaking into my home?" she spat.

Surprise evident on his face, Booth walked quickly towards her, kicking the door closed with his foot. "Are you alright?" he questioned, approaching her quickly as his eyes searched up and down her body for some sort of injury.

"Of course I'm alright," Tempe answered. She found it difficult to get the words out since the moment he rushed towards her her mouth had run dry of what little moisture it had leaving her with incredible cotton mouth. _Is he talking about me leaving this morning? I don't want to talk about this right now._ Feeling terrible and wanting to avoid the subject at all costs, she decided to play dumb. "Um… uh… why wouldn't I be ok?" She was suddenly extremely nervous, which of course he could tell.

_Is she nervous? Why is she stuttering? _"Why didn't you answer your phone Bones? I was really worried! I thought something had happened to you!" Booth paused, taking in the look on her face and her behavior. "Are you sure you're okay?" _She's doesn't look so hot. I've never seen her look so tired or pasty._

_That's very out of character for him to not say anything about something so significant._ _I mean we did cross that "line" we put in place, _she thought to herself. Relieved he hadn't brought up last night or this morning, but at the same time a bit worried he hadn't, she began to answer him, "Of..."

Just as she was starting speaking Booth interrupted her. Lightly chuckling has asked, "What's with the spatula? Were you going to take me down with it?"

Scowling she answered, "Well, I was scared and caught off guard. I thought you were a criminal. It was simply the closest thing to me."

Laughing he said, "What about your too-big-for-you gun?"

"Like I told you on Halloween, it's too big for me and you won't let me have one. You should feel terrible as I am now reduced to protecting myself with kitchenware," she snapped annoyed at him. Sighing she questioned, "Let's get back to the subject at hand. What are you doing here Booth?"

"Because, again, I thought something had happened to you when you didn't answer your phone. Why didn't you answer? Are you sure you're alright?" the worry once again evident in his voice.

Setting the spatula down on the counter, she answered in a short and rushed manner, "Of course. I'm fine. Completely unharmed."

He raised his eyebrows in a questioning and disbelieving sort of way, _Right. And you answering so quickly doesn't mean you're lying._ "Okay. Well then again, why didn't you answer you're phone?" he asked a bit annoyed. He had driven like a crazy man to her apartment, plus he had broken the law by using the siren. Not to mention he could smell Cam all over himself because he didn't get to take a shower! _I hope she can't tell! I don't want to get into it with her._

"O, I, was… uh.. I had just stepped into the shower when I heard the phone ring. I figured I would call you back after I finished getting dressed."

"How did you know it was me?"

_Oh crap. He always knows when I'm lying. How does he do that? I really need to learn how to be more perceptive to human behavior._ "Well, um… I just assumed. Most of the time it is you anyway. I took an educated guess."

"Bones, you NEVER guess! You don't know how! You don't believe in it! What the hell is going on? Did you screen my phone calls?" Booth was growing angrier not to mention more concerned. It was rare the Bones tried to lie to him. She was honest to a fault. Every time she said something he become more and more worried.

"I did not screen your calls! Why would I do that?" Tempe's voice was about an octave higher than it usually was as she defensively replied.

"Then what the hell is going on Bones?" he questioned, throwing his hands in the air before quickly dropping one to each hip.

"I had just undressed and was stepping into the shower when I heard my phone. So I ran to see who it was," she stopped, taking a breath and looking away. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes once since he'd been there, but she at least was looking towards him. Now she couldn't even do that as she finished, "I saw it was you and figured you wouldn't mind if I called you back when I was through." She looked back towards him, however, still unable to meet his eyes, "Apparently I was wrong. You did mind."

_She was telling me the truth about getting in the shower, but why is she lying about why she didn't answer? Did something happen last night? Did I say something that hurt her? Oh man… why can't I remember? _"I called you three times Bones! Four if you count the call I made to the lab!" he snapped.

"You called me 3 times on my cell?" she asked as she jogged to her bedroom to check her phone.

"What Bones? Do you think I'm lying?" he yelled after her.

Returning to the living room and him, she snapped her phone shut, a sheepish look on her face. "I didn't realize you called so many times Booth. That it was that important. I'm sorry."

_Well that's the truth. _His anger subsided as he saw the look on her face. He could tell she felt bad for worrying him. _Normally she would get pissed, yell at me for being so "alpha male", and tell me how she can take care of herself. Something is definitely off with her. _"It's alright Bones. No big deal. I was just worried about you. I couldn't remember how you got home last night. I mean I know I didn't drive you!" he chuckled referring to his own inebriated state the night before. A guilty look crossed her face, her cheeks flushed, _Oh no, did she go home with someone? Or did someone come home with her?_ Booth quickly scanned the room for any sign of a man._ I don't SEE anything, but that doesn't mean someone isn't here or they could have already left. _Not really wanting to know who, if anyone, she had been with last night, but at the same time NEEDING to know, he, in an attempt to be sneaky, shyly and hesitantly probed, "Speaking of which, how did you get home last night?"

Temperance's face dropped and her mouth began to water from nausea as the realization of the situation hit her. He most definitely had NO recollection of their little indiscretion the previous night. _What do I say? Do I tell him the truth? Do I lie? _Tempe was beginning to panic, the walls felt like they were closing in. She reached out to the island in her kitchen with her left hand in an attempt to steady herself from the dizziness she suddenly felt.

Booth saw the change in her immediately and his eyes filled with worry as what little color she had drained from her face. "Bones? Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good." He reached out and gently placed a hand on her upper arm as he saw her try and steady herself. "You feeling okay?" She immediately cringed as his hand came in contact with the bruise he'd given her. Trying to be as subtle as possible she pulled away from him. _Ow! Yes, I was definitely right about them becoming more painful! Of course, he has to touch the bruises he gave me the night before!_

"Bones?" Booth whispered, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you hurt? What's going on? Let me see your arm? How did you get home last night?" With every new question he asked, his speech became rushed and the pitch of his voice higher. Booth reached for her once again, slowly as not to upset or scare her away as she seemed to be getting more and more skittish throughout their conversation. That is, if you could even call it a conversation. _What the hell happened last night? This is all my fault! I'm supposed to protect her, make sure nothing happens to her. F**k, I failed her! _"Come on Temperance. Talk to me."

The sound of her real name on his tongue made Tempe want to fall crying into his arms telling him everything. Booth only called her "Temperance" when he was trying to really reach her, comfort her, or in intimate, personal moments. _Why won't he just drop it? He can be so aggravating!_ Pulling away from his grasp again, Temperance turned her back on him. She was having a difficult time meeting his gaze and there was no way she wanted him touching her. It just reminded her of last night, which was something she desperately wanted to forget. So Tempe did the only thing she felt she could do in this situation… lie…again. "I'm fine Booth, a little hung-over, but fine. I promise. Last night a waitress ran into my arm with her tray. It's just a little sore. Trust me, it is nothing to worry about," she finished briefly looking at his face trying to gage whether or not he'd bought her lie. However, she couldn't tell because the second she looked at his face, she looked away.

_She has always been a terrible liar. I wonder what she's hiding. I'll let it go…for now._ Booth had worked so hard for so long to get her to realize she could trust him and that she didn't need to hide behind her protective walls. There was no way he was going to push her and have her retreat back into the protective shell she'd created for herself all those years ago. There was no need to protect herself from him; he just hoped she remembered that. "Huh. Alright, well how did you get home last night?" Booth asked still hoping she'd be honest with him and fill him in.

_What the hell? Why won't he just let everything go? What is he doing here in the first place?_ Temperance walked towards the kitchen grabbing the coffee grounds as she passed them. "Oh, I just took a cab home," she answered, her back to him as she poured some grounds into the coffee maker. _Maybe this will help my hangover and keep me awake at the same time. _"Don't worry I didn't drive, if that's what you were worried about." _I didn't completely lie. I mean I did take a cab home, but to his apartment, not mine._

Booth followed her, stopping a few feet away. He smiled as he leaned against her kitchen island, legs stretched out before him, his right ankle on top of his left, and his arms crossed, causing his well-toned biceps to bulge. He smiled his famous "charm smile", the one she found so infectious, in hopes to ease some of the tension. The same smile that caused her to go weak in the knees. Temperance couldn't help but smile back. _Maybe things will be just fine_, she thought to herself as she poured them each a cup of coffee. "What about you Booth? How did you get home last night?" she asked, handing him his coffee. Tempe knew she shouldn't ask. She probably wouldn't care for the answer, but she couldn't stop herself.

Now both leaning against the counter, but across from each other, each of their legs stretched out before them, he laughed. "Well to be honest, I can't really remember. I'm pretty sure Cam gave me a ride though."

_Wow, I thought I was an exceptional mating partner, but if Booth cannot remember, I must have been mistaken._ Anger began to bubble from within; her eyebrows furrowed causing her to appear deep in thought. _Why am I so mad? I am not being rational. There is no reason to be so upset!_ she thought to herself as her eyes began watering. "But I thought you couldn't remember? What makes you think Cam took you home?" Temperance asked, looking straight ahead while praying that her eyes would stop watering. The last thing she wanted was to have any tears escape from her eyes in front of Booth. _If he can't remember why does he think Cam took him home? It is more logical that I would have taken him home. I mean we are partners._

_Did I say something wrong? What the hell is going on? Why can't she look at me and… are her eyes watering? Is she going to cry? _"Ummm… well…," as he stuttered he noticed 2 teardrops make their way down Tempe's face, much to her dismay. "Nevermind Bones. It doesn't matter." Booth didn't want her to find out exactly why he thought Cam took him home. He didn't want her to know that he assumed it was Cam that took him home since he had woken up naked with a nude Cam lying next to him. He remembered the last time she found out he had been "dating" Cam. She had been upset that he hadn't told her. With her acting weird, and now crying, there was no way he wanted to make things worse, especially when he didn't know what the problem was. "Bones, what's going on? Did I say something wrong?" he set his coffee on the counter and quickly reached towards her, hoping she'd let him take her in his arms.

_Dammit! What is wrong with me? Why do I keep crying and why can't I stop myself? Get a hold of your emotions Temperance! _she chided herself. She immediately began wiping at her eye._ Oh no, he wants to hug me. If that happens I will NEVER stop crying. It'll just make everything worse._ To avoid an even more awkward situation, she quickly pulled away from him before he could get too close. "Sorry, I just have something in my eye." She turned her back to him and played around with her eye in an attempt to fool him into thinking there really was some offending object in there.

Of course, being as perceptive as he was, he didn't buy it for a second. He knew she was trying to make him believe her story. _Wow, she's an even worse liar than I thought!_

As soon as she felt there would be no more escaping tears falling down her face, she turned around. She needed to change the subject. The two partners stood there facing one another, Booth staring right at Tempe while her eyes stayed glued to her hardwood floor, both sipping their coffee in an uncomfortable silence. Booth couldn't remember the last time things had been this awkward between them. To say he was worried was an understatement. _Normally she's opinionated and arrogant, always getting angry with me for being overprotective or an "alpha male". My Bones would have normally lost it and most likely have tried to kick my ass for using my key to her apartment just because she didn't answer the phone. Something is seriously wrong with her. Why won't she talk to me? It must be pretty bad for her to shut me out like this._ Whatever was wrong with her, there was no way she was going to tell him today. Booth just hoped that it would be soon, so he could make sure she was alright and he could stop worrying. _Hopefully she tells me soon. This is so awkward. I don't know how long I can deal with this before going insane! _He was so deep in thought over her behavior that he didn't hear her question.

"Did you hear me Booth?" No answer.

"BOOTH" Still no answer. He just continued to stare off in space. _Oh my God! What if he is starting to remember last night? I better get his attention and fast! _Desperate to get him to stop thinking about whatever was on his mind, she punched him in the shoulder.

"OW! What the hell Bones?" he yelled while rubbing his shoulder. "I nearly dropped my coffee! I could've burnt us both! What the hell was that for?"

"I tried saying your name, but you were off in your own little world. What were you thinking about anyways?" she asked nervously.

"So you punched me? Wow." Getting back to her question, he stuttered, "Oh, um…nothing. Just tired. You know you aren't the only one with a hangover," he felt it was smart not to tell her that he was thinking about how worried he was about her. That would just earn him another punch to his already aching shoulder. "What didn't I hear you say Bones?"

"I wanted to know why you were calling me to begin with. You know, the reason for you being here?" she replied with quite a bit of attitude and resentment.

Ignoring her tone, "Oh yeah, almost forgot. I called to tell you there's a body for ya Bones!"

"But it's my day off!" she argued in a somewhat whiney voice, very out of character for her.

"I know. Hey, it's my day off too! What's the big deal Bones, you were going to be in the lab anyway. You don't know how to take a day off!" he joked trying to lighten the mood.

Sure she was getting ready to go to work when he called, but she wasn't going to tell him that! She didn't want to give him the satisfaction! "For your information, not that it's any of your business anyway, but I was planning on staying home today. Maybe catch up on some reading, do some writing. Maybe even run a few errands." _It's not like I'm completely lying to him. I WASN'T going to work when I first got home, but I needed the distraction after last night's events._

"Okay, that's it! What's wrong with you? Do you have a fever? Maybe you should go to the doctor! When do you ever not work on your day off?" he teased while placing the back of his hand against her forehead pretending to feel for a fever.

Temperance immediately pulled away, aggressively pushing his hand off her forehead. "I'm fine Booth. How many times do I have to tell you? Are deaf or just plain stupid? I'm entirely capable of taking a day off. Just because I'm not going into the lab doesn't mean I need to see a doctor! I AM a doctor, REMEMBER?" she seethed.

"How could I ever forget? You won't let me!" he barked angry with her for being such a bitch. She only glared at him. Tempe was too upset and tired to argue further, so she turned her back on him for what felt to him like the millionth time. As she walked away from him she said, "Well, we better get to the crime scene, so I'm going to go get dressed. Just give me 15 minutes."

_Yeah, you're fine alright, I've seen more of your back today than any other part of you_, he thought to himself. "Actually Bones, um… this is embarrassing, but I ran out of the house so fast that I didn't get to take a shower. Do you mind if I take one here? I have clothes in the car. I mean I'm sure that you don't want to have to spend the day with a stinky ole me?"

"Well if you hadn't run out of your house so quickly on assumption, you would have taken a shower," she whispered under her breath.

"What's that Bones?" he asked, although he had heard every whispered word she mumbled.

"Um… uh…nothing," she stuttered.

He waited thirty seconds or so for an answer, then asked again, "So, is it cool if I take a shower or not?"

The thought of Booth naked in her house brought back images from last night. Feeling her cheeks flush, she turned around resuming the walk back to her room. As she passed her guestroom she opened the door yelling back to him, "Um, yeah Booth. You can use the guestroom bathroom through there," she pointed through the open door. "Everything you need's already in there, including towels."

_Did she blush? Was she thinking about me naked? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she does feel something more than friendship towards me. Hmm. _"Thanks, Bones," however he wasn't sure she heard him over the slamming of her door. "I'll just go grab my bag from the car," he whispered to himself.

The moment Temperance heard the front door close, signaling Booth had gone down to the SUV for his clothes, she sat on her bed no longer able to keep the tears at bay. They started out silent, but within thirty seconds she was hysterically crying, finding it increasingly more difficult to catch her breath. In fact, she was sobbing so loud that she didn't hear Booth reenter her apartment.

With his bag in one hand, Booth closed her front door with the other. Hearing a strange noise he slowly walked in the direction of it. _What's that sound? Is that crying? _He followed the strangled cries to her closed bedroom door. _Is that Bones? My Bones?_ Booth knew if he went in, she would only retreat further into her shell. As hard as it was, he knew he had to wait until she came to him with whatever was bothering her. Until that time, he would have to continue to remind her he was there for her. Placing his free hand and forehead against the door, Booth listened to her sobbing. _Oh Bones, what's wrong? God I hope I didn't do something to make her cry like this._ He had never heard or seen her cry that hard before. Sure, he had seen her cry, but it was always only a few tears or watery eyes. Never uncontrollable sobbing. Every part of him wanted to rush in, gather her in his arms, and tell her everything was going to be just fine. But, Booth knew that would only make things worse. _Luckily I'll be with her all day. I'll keep an eye on her. Speaking of which, I better get ready. We should've been there at least 10 minutes ago. _With that thought he rushed off to her guestroom to wash his worries, the morning's events, and Cam's scent off him.

* * *

Temperance sat on the end of her bed, knees pulled to her chest, sobbing for the next few minutes. _I have to get ready. And I better hurry or Booth will barge in here. I definitely don't want him to see me like this. He would just start prying again and I finally got him to drop the subject. I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut the next time he asks._ With that thought, Tempe jumped up and walked to her closet. Tears still made their way down her cheeks, but at least she was able to breath a bit better.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Booth was seated at her kitchen table eating a piece of toast he'd made while waiting for her to appear. He kept a watchful eye on Temperance as she emerged from her bedroom. She still couldn't meet his eyes, even more so now because she didn't want him to know she'd been crying. Makeup could do a lot for a woman, however hiding signs of a hysterical crying fit wasn't one of them.

"You ready to go Bones?" he asked reaching for her purse on the kitchen table as well as the toast he'd made for her.

"Um… yeah…" she replied, obviously distracted as her eyes darted every which way looking for something. He watched as she hurried to the sofa, picking up pillows and looking beneath them.

"Maybe it's in my room," she muttered, quickly turning on her heels towards her room.

"Bones what are you looking for?" _She's kind of cute when she's frantic! Look how erratic she is! _Booth snickered to himself as he watched her.

"My purse. I, uh, seem to have misplaced it," she answered. _I hope I didn't leave it in Booth's apartment. I could have sworn I had it when I left. I mean I paid the… _Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his voice.

"Bones, it's right here. It was on the table. I grabbed it for you."

Snatching her purse from his hands she headed for the door. "I can gather my own belongings, Booth."

He followed her lead towards the door, "I was just trying to help Bones. You seem a bit scattered this morning."

Inwardly cringing, Booth watched as she stopped dead in her tracks, slowly turning around at his statement. "Scattered? Scattered, Booth? Well, I wouldn't have been looking for my purse if you hadn't been such an alpha male and picked it up. Why on earth would I look for it in your hands? That makes no sense."

Normally he would argue with her, tell her that he was just trying to help, but it wasn't worth upsetting her anymore than she already was. So, he did the only thing he could do to calm her down and get her to the crime scene.

"I'm sorry Bones. You're right. I just made things more difficult."

A bit shocked at his quick and easy surrender, Temperance found herself at a loss for words as she stared at him. Making sure not to meet his eyes she just nodded letting him know she accepted his apology.

"Are you ready to go? We were supposed to be there, let's see, um," he glanced down at his watch, "40 minutes ago. So, we better hurry!" Booth walked to the door opening it and walking outside, not bothering to hold it open for her. As much as he wanted to, she would only yell at him for his alpha male tendencies and he wasn't up for anymore of that. Not to mention they didn't have time for it.

"You can always turn your siren on Booth," she stated as she followed, making sure to lock the door behind her.

As they walked down the pathway to the parking lot, Booth silently handed her the toast he'd made for her. Temperance hesitated for a brief second before meeting his eyes for the first time that day. "Why did you give this to me?"

There was silence as he looked into her eyes for the first time that day. Booth had to physically keep himself from grabbing and pulling her to him tightly. A broken, wounded, and devastated woman stared back at him. The look in her eyes made her seem so fragile. It reminded him of a lost child. _What the hell happened? I'm assuming whatever it is happened last night. Who hurt you Temperance? _His thoughts and staring were interrupted by the sound of her clearing her voice. "Um…uh, it'll help with the hangover Bones. An empty stomach is just going to make it worse. Really we should be eating a big greasy hamburger, but we don't have time to stop. Maybe for dinner though. So, the toast will have to do the trick. I don't want you passing out at a crime scene," he answered as they made their way to the SUV.

"Um, thank you Booth," she said. It was the first sincere thing she'd said to him all day. _Maybe I'm making some progress with her_, Booth thought.

Arriving to the car moments later, the exhausted, hung-over partners climbed in and drove to their newest crime scene.

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Please REVIEW! Let me know your thoughts....good or bad! It'll make me update much quicker! THANKS!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the show _BONES_ or any of its characters.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I have Ch. 7 written out; I just have to type it. The chapters from now on might be a bit shorter from the first 5 chapters because I can post them much quicker. I hope that is alright with you guys! I am done with school for the semester, so I will be posting more regularly! YAY!

Anyway, as a reminder... the character's _thoughts_ are _italicized_.

Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! When I get a bunch of HONEST reviews it makes me want to update right away because I know people are actually reading it!

Thanks for all your thoughts and comments good and bad! I LOVE YOUR HONESTY!! It's the BEST!

xo

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PREVIOUSLY IN CH.5:

There was silence as he looked into her eyes for the first time that day. Booth had to physically keep himself from grabbing and pulling her to him tightly. A broken, wounded, and devastated woman stared back at him. The look in her eyes made her seem so fragile. It reminded him of a lost child. _What the hell happened? I'm assuming whatever it is happened last night. Who hurt you Temperance? _His thoughts and staring were interrupted by the sound of her clearing her voice. "Um…uh, it'll help with the hangover Bones. An empty stomach is just going to make it worse. Really we should be eating a big greasy hamburger, but we don't have time to stop. Maybe for dinner though. So, the toast will have to do the trick. I don't want you passing out at a crime scene," he answered as they made their way to the SUV.

"Um, thank you Booth," she said. It was the first sincere thing she'd said to him all day. _Maybe I'm making some progress with her_, Booth thought.

Arriving to the car moments later, the exhausted, hung-over partners climbed in and drove to their newest crime scene.

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**CHAPTER 6**

As the partners drove to their newest crime scene Brennan picked at her piece of toast like a little bird. She ripped and tore small shreds off, squishing and playing with it between her fingers for a few minutes, then popping it in her mouth as Booth looked on, studying her from the corner of his eye. _Now what? Why won't he stop staring at me? _She wondered. Finally annoyed with feeling his eyes upon her, Brennan became irritated, snapping, "What is the problem Booth? Do I have something on my face? Why do you keep staring at me? You're going to crash if you don't keep your eyes on the road! We won't be going to a new crime scene, we'll be the crime scene!"

He rolled his eyes, but returned his gaze to the road. "Calm down. I'm an excellent driver." There was silence for a few seconds before he questioned, "Are you going to eat your toast? I don't know how long we'll be at the scene."

Releasing a huge, dramatic sigh she countered, "Yes! I'm eating it!" She held up her half eaten toast waving it around in such a way that reminded him of a child. "You sound like my dad."

Booth chuckled as he mocked her, "SWEETIE, you're not eating it. You're picking at it. Didn't anyone ever teach you to not play with your food?"

"FINE!" she groaned as she faced him while taking a huge bite of toast and chewing dramatically.

Booth felt a bit better about their current relationship after this exchange. Even though things were still a bit awkward between them, it felt as if they were getting some element of their old partnership back. _Maybe things will be okay after all. Maybe Bones is just really hung-over and feeling crappy and she's just taking it out on me, _Booth hoped.

After nearly 10 minutes of silence, not nearly as uncomfortable as before, but still uncomfortable, Tempe spoke up. "Do you know anything about where we are headed? What happened? Why they felt so compelled to call us in on our weekend off? Especially after everything that has happened. I assume that it must be important." She began sounding more and more bitter as she questioned him further, which was extremely unlike her. Normally she questioned him in an excited and giddy child-like manner obviously anxious to see what mystery lay ahead for her. A mystery she was always so eager to conquer. That was not the case today. Temperance seemed bothered and annoyed that she was needed on this case. Booth didn't know if it was the hangover and lack of sleep making her this way or everything she, well the whole team, had just been through with Zack. He suspected that she was feeling that Zack's actions were her fault; that she had somehow failed him. However, this was not the case at all and he hoped that Tempe knew that deep down.

"Honestly, I don't know much Bones. Just that I was told that it's pretty gruesome. They just wanted to warn us. But that's it. I don't know anything else."

"Interesting," she replied.

"Yeah. Should be." _God, I hope it's not that bad. I feel crappy and don't know how much I can handle today. Plus, I'm really hoping I'll be able to see Parker for at least a little while tomorrow._

After a 45-minute drive from her apartment, they began to see insane amounts of law enforcement and emergency vehicles, such as police cars, FBI SUV's and sedans, ambulances, fire trucks, etc. They had never been to a crime scene with so many law enforcement types of people before, even when "Warren Lynch" crashed into the train car filled with innocent victims, including Senator Paula Davis. Although neither could see what exactly was going on it was apparent that whatever it was was not good as they watched seasoned law enforcement officers (LEO's) scurrying every which way as if unable to deal or process what exactly they were looking at. Just as Booth turned the ignition off and removed the keys, an agent, a bit older than he was, quickly passed their car stumbling to reach an appropriate bush (far enough away from the crime scene so as not to contaminate anything) to throw up in. They watched as the man, bent over, hands on knees, emptied the contents of his stomach. In fact, the more Booth and Brennan's eyes darted around the area around their vehicle they noticed at least 3 others doing the same thing. They weren't even rookies, which caused incredible concern for the partners. Their heads slowly turned toward one another as their worry-filled eyes met and their mouths dropped in complete and utter disbelief at what they were witnessing. _What the hell has happened here? Seasoned agents and cops don't lose their lunch at crime scenes. That's a rookie thing to do! _Booth pondered to himself, slowly becoming more hesitant to leave the vehicle. A part of him, in fact a big part, wanted to start the car up again, lock the doors, keeping Brennan securely inside the vehicle, and drive away pretending this unknown crime had never been committed.

_These are not new officers that are getting sick. They are all older. Oh I already feel so terrible, in fact this is the worst my stomach has ever felt. I hope I can keep it together long enough to see what's going on and leave_, Brennan thought.

Cracking his door, Booth reached his right hand towards Bones, placing it gently on her left forearm. Concerned with Brennan's pale face he asked, "Bones, do you feel well enough to check this out? I can go in and do this by myself," he offered.

That's it. She'd had enough of his coddling and alpha male tendencies for one day. Jerking away from his touch she snapped, "For your information AGENT BOOTH," enunciating his name and title, "no matter how I felt I have NEVER vomited, fainted, or not been able to handle a dead body or crime scene. Why would that change now? I am more than capable of doing my job. This isn't my first day on the job and it certainly won't be my last!"

"Wo…"

But Brennan wasn't finished yet. "And for the millionth time," she now raised her voice, enunciating each word as if throwing each and every one at him, "DON'T CALL ME BONES!"

"Fine Dr. Brennan!" he made a point to also refer to her with her title, "if that is how you're gonna be. Get out of the car!" Booth was more than irritated with her now, he was angry and it showed as he climbed from the SUV and slammed his door. _I can't believe she just called me Agent Booth. Why is she so mad at me?? I don't remember doing ANYTHING to her!_

Booth walked around the side of the car slowly hanging back as he waited for her to exit the vehicle. However, he didn't want her to realize what he was doing. As Tempe slid from the passenger seat the severe heat mixed with her dehydration caused her to feel a bit dizzy for a few seconds. In an attempt to maintain her balance, she held the door for an extra minute allowing her to gather her bearings. Booth was extremely aware of the fact she didn't feel well and that it was affecting her in such an obvious way, but decided to keep quiet not wanting to make things any worse between the two of them. He knew saying something would only cause her to push him further and further away and he already felt the many miles that had transpired between them since yesterday. Worried about Tempe's pasty appearance he made sure to walk behind her in order to keep a watchful eye upon her as the partners headed towards the "crime scene" having no idea what to expect.

As they arrived and the scene came into view, their jaws hit the floor along with any remaining color in their faces, "Oh my God!" they muttered in unison.

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**REVIEW**! Give me your thoughts.... good/bad... as long as they are your **HONEST THOUGHTS**! Sooooooooo **REVIEW**!


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "BONES" or any of the character in the show.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Hi everyone. Thank you all for the reviews; please, keep it up!! This chapter started off being pretty short, but I kept adding and editing it. Please review! When I get reviews it makes me get the next chapter out much quicker! Honestly, it really does!

Again, _thoughts_ are in _italics_.

Enjoy!

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**PREVIOUSLY IN CH.6**

Booth walked around the side of the car slowly hanging back as he waited for her to exit the vehicle. However, he didn't want her to realize what he was doing. As Tempe slid from the passenger seat the severe heat mixed with her dehydration caused her to feel a bit dizzy for a few seconds. In an attempt to maintain her balance, she held the door for an extra minute allowing her to gather her bearings. Booth was extremely aware of the fact she didn't feel well and that it was affecting her in such an obvious way, but decided to keep quiet not wanting to make things any worse between the two of them. He knew saying something would only cause her to push him further and further away and he already felt the many miles that had transpired between them since yesterday. Worried about Tempe's pasty appearance he made sure to walk behind her in order to keep a watchful eye upon her as the partners headed towards the "crime scene" having no idea what to expect.

As they arrived and the scene came into view, their jaws hit the floor along with any remaining color in their faces, "Oh my God!" they muttered in unison.

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**CHAPTER 7**

Booth and Bones felt as if they'd been transported into the middle of a scene from a bloodcurdling horror movie. They had arrived at their newest crime scene having only been told that it was "one of a kind". The fact that the partners had been warned to begin with when they were called in spoke volumes. However, displayed before them was a site neither could have ever imagined.

As Booth and Brennan stood, practically shoulder-to-shoulder, in the middle of their current crime scene (a deserted lot resembling a field) surrounded by blood and body parts both felt as if they had acrobats flipping around in their stomachs. Various limbs (biceps, knees, calves, ribs, heads, etc) were strewn all around them. Some were buried halfway while others were just lying on top of the ground; the ones completely unburied still contained a significant amount of tissue making them think they belonged to the victims killed most recently. The ones half buried still had some tissue, but much of it was gone, Brennan assumed with the help of various animals and their healthy appetites, not to mention decomposition.

Dr. Temperance Brennan knew she wouldn't last long without getting sick to her stomach as it began twisting and turning as she noticed intestines hanging in the branches of a tree near where she stood. The way they were draped in the tree reminded her of the way garland and Christmas lights decorated her family Christmas tree as a child bringing back memories of happier times. Times when her mother and father were still caring for her and she had not yet been abandoned by her brother, Russ. A time when she felt safe and loved. A time when she was oblivious to the kind of people her parents were. A time when she thought of them as heroes, not criminals.

It was already apparent that there was more than one victim. There was too much blood and duplicates of many of the limbs. Just doing a quick glance around the surrounding area Temperance counted at least six bodies, however she surmised there were many, many more. It would be days, possibly a week or even weeks, until they discovered everything. "What happened here?" she mumbled more to herself than to anyone in particular. Tempe had seen many terrible and unimaginable things over the course of her career, such as mass graves in 3rd world countries, tortured victims, etc., but this was the worse she'd seen and she was almost positive she was staring at only a fraction of what was actually there.

"I don't know. What do you think happened Bones?" Booth questioned her, not feeling well himself. However, worrying and focusing on his partner distracted him from the fact that he was doing his best to keep the vomit creeping up his throat from actually leaving his mouth.

Tempe didn't answer. She was too fixed and entranced, as if trapped in a fog, on the horrific scene before her. This was nothing like anything she'd ever seen. Not once had she ever seen intestines wrapped around branches of a tree and she doubted she'd ever see it again. Or at least she hoped she wouldn't.

With every step Brennan took, her stomach churned that much more, while her mouth became more and more watery with the increasing nausea. Tempe didn't know how much longer she could be there without throwing up, which would, of course, cause Booth to become even more overprotective and irritating.

In fact, looking around Dr. Brennan wondered why exactly she was called in on this particular case. There was way too much tissue on these body parts for her. She dealt with bones, not the soft parts covering the bones. _Maybe I didn't need to be out on this case with Booth today. I definitely could've used the rest of the weekend to figure out how I was going to handle this new predicament with him_, she thought, incredibly irritated and angry at the whole situation. "Why am I here Booth? And on my weekend off? There is way too much tissue on these bones. This is a job for Dr. Saroyan, not me!" she questioned Booth in a tone he most definitely did NOT appreciate.

"I honestly don't know Bones. I got the call telling me to bring you to this location. I was following orders, so you can't be mad at me. I just did what I was told."

Interrupting him, well not meaning to, she mumbled to herself under her breath, "No reason to be mad at you? Right! There most definitely is!"

_I knew it! She is upset! _he only pieces of her statement, but enough to have some idea of what she'd said, he played dumb asking, "Huh? What'd you say? I couldn't hear you."

_He wasn't supposed to hear that. I was just talking to myself_, she groaned to herself. With her cheeks turning bright red from embarrassment, Tempe replied, "Uh, nothing."

"Alright then. Well, as I was saying…if I had known how… um… fleshy the bones were I wouldn't have called you. But there has to be a reason. You know, let me find out," he answered, his voice equally full of attitude.

"Whatever" Tempe sighed, incredibly irritated, not to mention embarrassed that he'd almost heard her talking to herself.

_God, what is her problem? I'm getting really sick of this side of her. I'm ready for it to disappear as quickly as it appeared_, Booth thought as he left to find Agent Charles Bloomfield, the head of the FBI Forensic Team, who were currently scouring the field for evidence, basically whatever they could find that might help them. Seeley found the agent in question squatting in the dirt wearing gloves while using a small brush to sweep away bits of soil in hopes of uncovering some more evidence and/or remains. Walking towards him Booth greeted, "Hey Charlie. Wow, what a nightmare!"

"You can say that again! I could've gone my whole life without ever seeing…" pausing as he searched for the correct words, but couldn't quite articulate exactly what he wanted to say. "…something like this," he continued, disgust evident on his face.

"You got that right, buddy. Hey, I was wondering why exactly Dr. Brennan was called in on this one and not Dr. Saroyan?"

"Well, actually they were both called in Booth. But we called you and the 'Doc' first because of what we initially found," he clarified while pointing in the direction of a taped off area about 500 feet away.

"Um, ok. Thanks man," Booth glanced back to where he left Bones, his hands cupped at each side of his mouth as he yelled, "Hey Bones, over here!"

Hearing him bellow for her, Tempe trudged towards her partner. Once she reached him, she snapped, "What?"

"Charlie said he called you here because of the first thing that the FBI Forensic Team came across… over there," Booth explained while pointing to the area Charlie had just mentioned to him.

"Okay, well then let's stop wasting time and see what was discovered. After all we are here to do our job, not to socialize," Temperance growled, then stalked off en route to the taped off area.

Hearing their brief exchange, Charlie glanced at Booth, "What's up with her?"

Eyes squinted while he frowned, Booth shook his head in frustration and annoyance as he watched her retreating form storm away. "Your guess is as good as mine. She was fine last night."

"Last night? You finally hit that?" Charlie snickered.

"Hey! Have a little respect!" Booth's tone calmed as he explained, "Not that it's any of your business, but Brennan and I are just friends…and only friends. We've never crossed that line!" Seeley swore.

"Yeah, but you want to!" he teased.

"Shut up!"

"Just admit it! Look at you! You're blushing like a little girl!" Charlie laughed.

"Oh did you hear that? Bones is calling me!" Booth lied and pretty terribly, especially for an FBI "lie detector". Raising his voice, he hollered to Tempe, "I'm on my way Bones!" Looking towards Charlie he said, " See ya later Charlie," then proceeded to jog away leaving him behind shaking his head in disbelief while laughing at the strange partnership the two had.

"When are they gonna wake up and realize they're absolutely head over heels for each other?" Charlie muttered to himself.

As he approached Bones, he questioned, "So, what do we got?"

"A large quantity of victims."

He glanced down, seeing numerous bones already unearthed.

"Some kids were screwing around and stumbled across those ones," an agent nearby relayed to the partners while pointing to a small pile of bones. "We arrived and began 'digging', finding all these… so far," showing them a much larger heap of bones laid out before them. "Who knows how many more there are and that's just in this spot. I mean this is an enormous field. After more investigation of the area we found all that other 'stuff'…appearing to be more recent," he explained, referring to the location Booth and Brennan had just come from.

Booth nodded as the agent spoke. When he was finished Booth expressed his appreciation, "Good work, thank you." The young agent beamed at Special Agent Seeley Booth's complimenting words. After all Seeley was older and extremely well-known in the department, so his words meant a lot.

"Must be the most current dumping ground and this is an older one," Booth surmised.

""Whoever's done this it looks like they've been at it for awhile," the young agent remarked.

"I agree with you, Agent…" Booth paused, not knowing the young man's name.

"Agent Brandon Hayes, sir," he divulged pulling off his glove and extending his hand f to shake Booth's.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth," he introduced himself while shaking Agent Hayes hand.

"Oh I know, sir. I've heard all about you. You have an amazing reputation. You close cases, a lot of cases. It's an honor to meet you!" the young agent beamed.

"Thanks, but I could never do it without my amazing partner Dr. Temperance Brennan and the rest of the "squint squad" over at the Jeffersonian."

"Nice to meet you," Temperance shook Hayes hand as well.

Returning his attention to his partner, Booth inquired, "What's the story Bones?"

"There are numerous victims here. These don't all belong to one person…obviously. Some appear to be women, men, and there is at least one child that I see without investigating the bones more closely here. I can tell you more when I look them over at the lab."

"…a…child? Dismembered?" Booth stuttered, his face paling as the realization hit him.

"A child? Yes. However, I can't tell you at this time if it was definitely dismembered."

"But, what do you think?" he pressed.

"Booth, you know I don't work like that! Why do you always ask me to guess? You know I don't feel comfortable doing so!" Brennan practically screamed at him.

"Fine Bones! Whatever!" With drooping shoulders and a scowl firmly upon his face, Booth stormed away. _How long are things going to be like this? This is more miserable than when we first started working together. And she hated me back then! I would prefer that rather than the way things are now!_ he questioned himself.

Temperance was left standing over the bones. Looking towards the men still searching for any more possible remains and/or evidence, she instructed, "Just send everything you find to the Jeffersonian Institute." With that said she turned away following in Booth's footsteps. _Maybe I was too curt with Booth. I'm just having a difficult time being objective about last night, not to mention getting it off my mind. I mean how could he not remember that we had intercourse?_ she wondered.

Brennan could see Booth standing near the area where the most recent victim's remains were. He appeared to be watching various members of the FBI Forensics Team working through the steps of a crime scene including uncovering gruesome body parts, taking photographs, and logging them into evidence, while looking like busy bees gathering and storing honey for the long winter months that lie ahead. However, this is only what it looked like. In reality, he was so submerged in his own thoughts that he noticed nothing of his chaotic surroundings nor did he hear Brennan approaching. _I know she is an expert at compartmentalizing even when one of our cases involves children, but she knows how much these particular cases get to me. Bones is always pretty respectful of my feelings whenever a case involves a kid. I mean she knows I always see Parker whenever I see a dead child and she may not understand but she never speaks or treats me so badly…making me feel that my feelings are invalid and don't matter._ _I mean all I wanted to know was if the child appeared to be dismembered. I know she can do that, so why jump all over me for asking? I'm guessing it had nothing to do with the case, but whatever she's mad at me for. I must have done or said something! Sure, she has taken out her anger and/or hurt on me before when it had nothing to do with me at all, but never to this extent. So, it must be me that she's upset with! If only I knew what I did, so then I can fix it! Maybe she found out about Cam? But there's really nothing to find out! We're not dating…only using each other to fill a void. Or at least that's what I thought was the deal, but apparently that was just me because after her proclamation of love this morning, we're obviously on two completely different pages… Oh man that reminds me, how could I have been such an idiot, not to mention an ass? Not only did I envision, unintentionally but still I did, that Cam was Bones when we slept together this morning, but I got so caught up that I proclaimed my love for Bones to Camille. Now she thinks I'm in love with her. How did I get to this point? How did I not see how Cam really felt? What kind of cop am I? Apparently not a good one! Were there signs that I missed? I wonder if anyone else picked up on anything? Maybe Angela? She's really insightful. Bones? Maybe that's what…_ Before he could finish his thought he heard Brennan's voice beside him.

"Um… Booth?" Tempe whispered, interrupting his train of thought.

_When did she get here? Wow, I must've really been in my own little world to not notice her approach me_, Booth thought to himself.

Although he gave no indication he'd heard her Tempe knew he was listening, so she continued, "I'm sorry for…well…back there. I was extremely inconsiderate, not to mention disrespectful. You aren't the only one who is bothered by child victims. I am too. I just find that during these cases the only way I can do my job is if I stay completely detached and unemotional. It's a coping mechanism, a very helpful and rational one actually. But for some reason this time it wasn't nearly as effective as it normally is and the remains of the child really got to me. Why today and this particular case? Maybe because I'm incredibly hung-over. I don't know, but I apologize for taking it out on you. That was unprofessional."

Booth was quiet for at least a minute before replying, "I understand. Thank you for the apology, Bones. But that's not all that's bothering you. Is it Tempe?"

Her silence was the only answer needed.

Turning towards her he reached for her hands, "Why won't you answer me? Talk to me Temperance? Please, you know you can trust me!"

Unable to meet his eyes, for fear he'd know she was lying, Tempe carefully withdrew her hands from his, "I'm fine, Booth. Really, that's all that's burdening me. I guess I'm just not myself today."

Once again letting the issue fade away, they both turned towards the heinous crime scene. Both watched an agent discover, photograph, and remove a pair of black men's dress shoes with feet still inside that had been in a nearby bush. The feet were wearing red and blue striped socks, similar to a pair Booth had worn just days earlier, and the legs were severed mid-calf, leaving jagged pieces of bone showing. The legs appeared to have been ripped apart, not cut smoothly by a blade of some kind. Looking at all the flesh still attached, Brennan stated, "Dr. Saroyan will definitely be needed on this case." At the mention of her superior's name, Tempe noticed Booth tense up. _That's odd. I thought they were friends_, she contemplated.

This was definitely a case she'd work closely with Cam. In fact, Dr. Brennan was surprised she wasn't there yet. Not only were their various body parts on the ground, but in bushes, plants, flowers, trees, etc. Some of which appeared to be cut, while others appeared to literally have been ripped apart as if something or someone had played tug-of-war with each limb effectively tearing it in two pieces. Similar to when one comes across a wish bone while eating and snaps it into two parts. Continuing to look around, Tempe's eyes caught sight of something they hadn't seen when she'd first arrived, probably because she'd felt so sick when she initially laid eyes on the crime scene. Quite a few bones were poking up from the soil. More were being unearthed as various agents sat, spread out around the area, gently and carefully digging and brushing dirt away as they searched for more remains. This had obviously been a dumping ground for some time.

In fact, no sooner did Brennan bring up Camille Saroyan's name than she heard a car door slam, footsteps approach, and an all too familiar and disbelieving voice utter, "What… the… heeeeellll?" There was a silent pause as the doctor attempted to take in the grisly scene before her eyes. "Oh myyyyy God!" Dr. Camille Saroyan exclaimed coming to stand just behind the partners.

Camille was horrified and needing comfort she reached out attempting to squeeze Booth's hand. Not expecting to feel her hand on his he immediately pulled away. _What the? What's changed in a few short hours? Sure he was acting a bit weird before I left his place this morning, but I just thought maybe he'd been planning some elaborate and romantic way to admit he loves me and was upset with himself for letting his feelings slip out this morning. That he was angry with himself for ruining his plan. Maybe I was wrong_, Camille thought to herself. Seeley quickly glanced over at Camille. She was hurt, the look said it all, which only made him feel more guilty and worse over what had happened that morning. _This is definitely not one of my best days. Could anything else bad happen?_ Booth wondered.

He desperately didn't want Bones to find out about "them" (Cam and him), especially given her current frosty behavior towards him. However, Brennan had just looked over at him to ask if he was ready to go when she saw the strange interaction between the one-time lovers. Seeing this caused her heart to feel heavy and begin to ache. Why? She had no clue. Confused over seeing Cam reach for Booth, Tempe wondered, _Are they dating? But he slept with me last night. Of course, he doesn't remember. But still, he believes in monogamy and would never be unfaithful. He considers infidelity a sing and that God punishes those that are unfaithful. He would never put himself in a position where God could possibly punish him_. But when she noticed the way in which he yanked his hand away from Cam's she felt elated, causing the aching in her heart to disappear. The only question was…why? Why did Booth pushing Cam away make her feel happy and…dare she say hopeful? _Well, I guess they aren't together. It must just be her. Maybe she wants to be with him or maybe she was just upset about this crime scene. I mean it is extremely upsetting. It is a well-known fact that in horrible and upsetting situations, people tend to seek comfort. Often from the opposite sex. They are friends and he often provides me solace when I am upset and we're friends._ Having too much on her plate at the moment, she shook the thoughts and questions from her mind_._

Booth saw that Temperance was looking towards him. _Dammit, Cam! Did Bones just see that? God I hope not! _He looked at Bones, eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.

Knowing what he was asking, Tempe responded, "There isn't really anything more I can do here. Just have…"

Booth interrupted her. "Everything sent to the Jeffersonian. Yeah, I know Bones. This isn't our first case together," he smiled. After a minute or so he asked, "Well then, are you ready to go?"

Sighing, she answered, "Yeah, I am. Are you?"

"Yeah. Oh yeah," he replied. "Alright then. Everybody, you know the drill. Everything gets sent to the Jeffersonian!" Booth yelled to the members of the FBI Forensic Team.

A young FBI agent, Tim Flooder, who had worked a few crime scenes with the partners, approached Booth, "We won't be done collecting for days, maybe even a week or more. I mean who knows how much more is buried, so do you want us to just send the evidence over to the Jeffersonian as we find it or wait until we have all of it, Agent Booth?

"Tim, just send it as you find it. That way the squints can get started as soon as possible. Okay?"

"Sure thing, sir."

"Thank you." Booth loved it when he was called sir. He felt respected and important, and often times intelligent. Spending the majority of his time with Bones and the "Squint Squad" he often felt insignificant and sometimes kind of stupid. He relied on them for so much; in fact, most of their leads on a case were discovered by the "Squint Squad". Often times Booth felt the squints didn't need him at all and sometimes thought that if they had better social skills he would become completely useless and unneeded. At times he felt as if he sat around waiting for them to find him a lead only to then send him off to use his big muscles, strength, and good looks (including his "charm smile" as Brennan called it) to extract needed information from suspects and people involved in the case. Once he had the information he'd bring it back to the "squints" only for the cycle to repeat itself, causing him to feel like their messenger and errand boy.

While Booth was speaking to Agent Flooder, Tempe glanced around the site. _What happened here? What kind of person does this to others? I thought I'd seen everything, but this…. Wow._ While observing her surroundings, Brennan's eyes met a disturbing site. An agent had just discovered a child's head mounted on a long wooden stick, reminiscent of a slimmed down tree branch. _Thank God Booth didn't see that_, Tempe thought as her stomach jolted, causing her hand to quickly fly to her mouth. _I can't get sick! _She had never thrown up at a crime scene or over any human remains before, even when she was a "rookie", and there was no way she was starting now.

Always aware of where Brennan was and what she was doing, Booth immediately saw her hand go to her mouth. It took all the self-control he had not to run to her. However, he knew that would embarrass her and only make her anger and attitude towards him dramatically worse. So, Seeley did the only thing he could think of to help without drawing attention to her. "Alright, let's get outta here Bones," he said, surprised at how calm he sounded when he felt anything but.

Temperance could only nod in response. She began towards the vehicle (leaving a jealous and fuming Cam behind to collect and do what needed to be done with the remains she'd be working with) with Booth walking next to her, his right hand lying lightly on the small of her back. Feeling so terrible in that moment she welcomed the comfort this small gesture provided. Allowing him to open the passenger door for her Booth offered his hand to help boost her into the large FBI SUV. Closing the door, he jogged over to the driver's side. Jumping in, he quickly put the car in reverse trying to get them as far away from this hellhole of a crime scene as soon as possible.

Once he was far enough away, Booth slowed down not wanting to make her car sick on top of the nausea she was experiencing thanks to her hangover. "Hey I'm really hung-over Bones and this disgusting crime scene made me wanna puke. I just need a little air to help with the nausea. Is it cool if I turn the air up? Maybe roll the windows down a little?" he asked his beautiful partner.

Still feeling nauseous and a bit preoccupied, Tempe replied, "Oh um… yeah that's fine. No problem."

Seeley knew it would help her too, which is why he asked. He was worried if he just did it she would accuse him of "coddling her". He also wasn't exactly lying. He too was extremely hung-over, but worrying about her distracted him from how awful he felt.

As the silent drive continued and her stomach began to calm a bit (thanks to the help from the air and the fact they were no longer surrounded by brutally dismembered human remains) she began to feel the consequences of getting very little sleep. Taking off her coat in order to wad it up into a pillow she could place against the window, she wasn't thinking about why she had kept the jacket on in the first place. As she dozed his eyes automatically wandered over her. Subconsciously checking to make sure she was okay, that the love of his life was safe and sound. That's when he noticed the bruises on her.

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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE **REVIEW**!! I want to know what **EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU** thinks!


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I do now own the TV show "Bones" or any of its characters.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Wow, how much do you hate me for taking almost a year to update?? I promise that I'll update on a more regular basis. I was going to post this a few days ago, but I thought I make it a longer chapter since you have all been SOOO patient with me! You're seriously the best!

Alright, so it's a little different this time. Like always thoughts are _italicized_. BUT...when I wanted to give a word some extra oomph and feeling when it wasn't in a thought, I_italicized_ it. But when I wanted to give a word an extra oomph when one of the characters was thinking, I put it in bold. Let me know if you don't understand and it makes it too confusing. If that's the case, I'll repost and not do any of it in the future chapters.

I've decided to not update again until you guys give me a bunch of reviews because I could have gone sooo many different ways in this chapter and I'd like to know what you all think of the direction I took it in. Once I know that I can continue writing the next chapter. SOOOOO REVIEW if you want more!

Thanks so much for all your reviews and amazing messages! You're the best

**ENJOY!!!!**

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PREVIOUSLY IN CH. 7:

As the silent drive continued and her stomach began to calm a bit (thanks to the help from the air and the fact they were no longer surrounded by brutally dismembered human remains) she began to feel the consequences of getting very little sleep. Taking off her coat in order to wad it up into a pillow she could place against the window, she wasn't thinking about why she had kept the jacket on in the first place. As she dozed his eyes automatically wandered over her. Subconsciously checking to make sure she was okay, that the love of his life was safe and sound. That's when he noticed the bruises on her.

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CHAPTER 8

Seeley Booth's heart rate increased, his breathing became shallower, his gripped tightened on the FBI issued steering wheel, his foot involuntarily put more pressure on the gas pedal increasing the speed at which he was driving, and his eyes became so wide that he found his vision beginning to blur from lack of moisture. All because of what he had just seen on his beautiful partner's porcelain skin. _I knew I saw pain in her eyes back at her apartment when I touched her arm. Not to mention the way she flinched. I knew she was lying to me. I never should have let her get away with it! I should have pushed the subject! Found out what the hell was wrong with her! __**F**__**orced**__ her to show me her arm! To tell me what the hell's going on! What kind of partner am I? Forget partner! What kind of __**friend**__?? _Booth was beating himself up over the whole scenario. He felt that whatever had happened to Bones was his fault because he didn't "protect her". Gradually slowing as he approached a stoplight, he stole a glance at his sleeping partner. _Wow, she doesn't look good. She's so pale and even while asleep it looks as if she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. _He wondered, for about the thousandth time that day, what exactly had happened for her to retreat so far back into the "protective shell" she'd created for herself all those years ago. After his eyes scanned her tired and pasty, yet beautiful, face they wandered down to her thin bicep. Now having more time to really check out and investigate what he had first thought to be a cluster of bruises, Seeley now discovered it was only one. One _very_ large bruise. His jaw dropped and his blood began to boil, "Is that a handprint?" Booth asked, so shocked by the realization of what he was seeing that he actually spoke this aloud. He immediately froze, wishing and hoping that his outburst hadn't woken his sleeping partner because, after all, he had _no idea_ what he was going to say to her. He needed some time to really think things through and figure them out.

_How could someone grab her hard enough to leave a bruise of their actual hand without me ever realizing it? Nothing happened to her to cause this kind of bruising during the Gorgonzola case. I mean I would have known! I would have kicked some ass! _Booth wondered as he sat at the light. His mind was racing a million miles an hour as he tried to comprehend and digest this new information.

At first his mind promptly flew to the possibility that he had been so intoxicated the night before that he hadn't noticed someone paying attention to her in a negative way. _Maybe a guy in the club got rough with her when she turned him down? Or maybe someone attacked and assaulted her after I left? Maybe while she was waiting for a cab? Was she just grabbed? Or was she…oh my God, I can't even think about that! Wouldn't she have reported it if someone did that to her? I can't even think the word let alone say it! I'm the __**worst**__ partner in the world!!_ He glanced over at Bones. As he took in her sleeping face a strange feeling of familiarity overcame him. It was similar to déjà vu, but not exactly. He had seen her sleep plenty of times in scenarios just like this one, but somehow he knew that wasn't it. Booth was not one for ignoring feelings, especially ones as strong as this one; the only problem was he had no idea what it was trying to tell him. Watching her sleep he spotted the bruise once again bringing his thoughts back to the question at hand: how did Bones get a bruise in the shape of a hand on her arm?. _Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I jump to something so horrible as…ya know_ (still unable to even think the word "rape") _…could there be another reason for a hand shaped bruise on her arm?_ Booth bit his bottom lip in reflection. Suddenly the "dream" he'd had the night before popped into his mind causing the biggest smile to appear on his face. In fact, he thought it might be the only time he'd smiled all day. It felt great. _In the dream I remember pushing her up against a wall while we made out, unable to keep our hands off one another. The force I used to push her could have definitely caused a bruise like that and it would've been exactly where it is on her arm…_ His eyes got big. Was it possible that it wasn't a dream? He entertained the _amazing_ thought for a second before returning to his senses. _ No, there's no way. It's just a coincidence. A weird one, yes, but a coincidence all the same. It has to be. I mean I woke up next to Cam this morning not next to Bones. Yeah, it was most definitely only a dream and a really odd coincidence. _That weird feeling immediately came back, but Booth ignored it as another awful thought came to mind causing what little color he had in his face to disappear. _Maybe she didn't go home alone last night. I mean she didn't really answer me when I questioned her about it earlier. In fact, she got just plain weird and kind of angry when I asked how she got home last night. I mean I don't remember. Shit, I don't even remember how __**I **__got home!! What if she met someone at the bar and brought him back to her place? Maybe he gave her those bruises by forcefully pushing her against something like I did in my dream??!! _Just entertaining the notion made him literally nauseous and gag. Jealousy formed in the pit of his stomach. She was his after all. Not in a creepy sort of way. It's just that he had always truly believed that they'd eventually end up together.

Booth's train of thought was interrupted by a searing pain in his right bicep. "Ow! What the hell?" he yelped turning towards his passenger. Temperance was no longer asleep. Instead she sat there kind of glaring at him. "What was that for?" he asked regarding the punch she just threw him.

"Are you suddenly deaf?"

Realizing what she was referring to he placed his foot on the gas causing the car to jolt forward in a less than graceful manner. Booth had been so lost in thought that he hadn't been paying attention to the road. The stoplight had gone through several rotations of green-yellow-red without him moving at all. Needless to say the _many_ cars stuck behind him were _not _happy. They hadn't just honked once or twice, but almost all the drivers had their hand on their horns causing a long, long, long and awful noise. Add _at least_ ten people doing this and you have yourself a headache. "Sorry. I was lost in thought," Seeley mumbled to his partner in embarrassment.

_What could he have been thinking about that would cause him to not hear that deafening noise? _Brennan's face went white eliminating the small amount of color her short rest had given her. _Maybe he remembers everything? That we had sexual intercourse? That I left him asleep in his bed? _She nervously sat there debating whether or not she should question him about his thoughts. Just as she was about to ask he interrupted her. "I'm really sorry about that Bones. I know you were tired and you seemed to be getting some good sleep. Why don't you close your eyes and try to get some more shut-eye? I promise nothing like that will happen again. You have my word: peace and quiet! This is gonna be a long, hard case and you're going to need all the rest you can get because who knows when you're going to get another chance to catch some z's."

"It's fine Booth. I'm no longer tired," she lied. There was no way she was going back to sleep now. Tempe was dying to know what he was thinking about. She _had_ to find out if he had remembered everything. "You had to be pondering something extremely important for you to not hear all that noise. So, uh, what was it?"

_Did she just stumble when she asked me that? As if she's nervous? Interesting…what does she have to be nervous about when it comes to what I'm thinking about?! _Booth prided himself on being able to read people and he was good at it. Even when it came to his guarded partner. However, he seemed to be having a difficult time figuring her out today. _Obviously there is something wrong, but that's all I got. Maybe it's because I'm so hung-over and exhausted? Yeah! That's gotta be it_, he decided. After mulling over how to go about answering her question he finally decided on vagueness. "Honestly? Numerous things. Not really a great time to talk about them now." Seeley wasn't lying, he just wasn't being specific.

This answer made Brennan uneasy. She seemed to sit a bit taller as she stared straight ahead, mind running a million miles an hour.

Awkward silence continued for the next ten minutes or at least it felt like ten minutes. In reality it was probably more like five. The entire time Booth snuck quick looks at Brennan and her bruise, which, of course, did not go unnoticed by her. With every look she grew more and more irritated. Finally, not being able to take it anymore, she snapped. "What? For God's sake what Booth? Why do you keep staring at me?" she yelled.

_Should I ask now? I wanted to wait, but I don't know if I really have a choice now. Not only that but I'm not sure if I want to know. But at the same time I __**need**__ to make sure someone didn't hurt her_, Seeley debated. He cleared his throat, preparing himself for what he knew was going to be a difficult conversation, then took a deep breath and dove right in, "Something caught my eye while I was driving earlier," he started, pausing in order to try and figure out the best way to word the next part. He wanted to ask in such a way that caused the least amount of yelling and arguing between them.

Now not only annoyed with him, but impatient she asked, "Alright. Well are you ever going to tell me what it was?"

Unfortunately her tone and impatience irritated him, "Yeah Bones. That is if you'd give me a second to collect my thoughts."

Being a smartass she argued, "I gave you more than a second. How long do you need to tell me what you saw? Can you not remember?

_God! What the hell is her problem? I'm getting really sick and tired of this bitchy and angry side of her. I wonder if this is what she was like as a teenager? Man she's a nightmare! _Now he was pissed, "You wanna know what I saw? Fine! I saw that bruise there on your arm. Not just a bruise by the way. But a bruise of someone's hand! And I wanna know what the hell happened and I wanna know now! No more of your lies!" This was the exact approach he was trying to avoid, but unfortunately his temper got the best of him.

This was most definitely not what Brennan was expecting him to say. _Crap! How could I have been so stupid to take my jacket off? That was the whole reason I wore it in the first place. I mean it's not at all cold outside. _She quickly put her jacket on remaining silent. _Well, at least I wore a turtleneck. Of course the only turtleneck I own is a tank top, which is why I wore the jacket. I can't imagine what he would've said or done if he saw the matching bruise on my right arm. Luckily it wasn't visible to him with the way I was leaning against the passenger door. Ugh, why'd I have to let that crime scene and my hangover cause me to forget and take off my jacket? I don't usually let things affect me like this. What is wrong with me today?_

Booth watched his partner's entire demeanor change. He noticed that before she made any kind of noise she immediately put her jacket on. _She's obviously pissed at herself for forgetting to take it off in the first place. I thought it was funny she was wearing a jacket to begin with. I mean it's hot as fuck outside! _Not being able to handle the silence any longer he added, "Is that why you cringed earlier? In your kitchen? When I barely touched your arm? I mean Bones there's a fucking handprint on your arm? Do you know how hard someone has to grab you to leave a mark of their actual hand???" With every new question his voice became louder and louder. "You'd have to be manhandled! Did someone manhandle you Bones? Because if they did I'm gon…" However, he didn't get the chance to finish.

As Booth asked her question after question without giving her a chance to answer Brennan began to pull at the neck of her tank top turtleneck. _Is it hot in here? _She felt as if she was trapped. Like the walls were closing in on her. With every new question he threw at her the feeling became stronger and more intense until she couldn't handle it anymore. She _needed_ him to be quiet! "Shut up," she spoke somewhat softly. "Shut up," she said a bit louder. "Shut up!" she finally screamed effectively interrupting him midsentence. In fact, he was quite shocked by her reaction. Bones wasn't the type to let her emotions get the better of her in situations such as this one, but then again she hadn't been acting like herself all day. _Do I stick with what I told him earlier? In my kitchen? If I tell him something different then he will definitely know I'm lying. That's worse than just suspecting. Why do we have to be stuck in a car right now? Why couldn't we be at the lab or…really anywhere except here? Anywhere I could just walk away. Here I can't. I'm stuck. _"Not that it's any of your concern, but I already told you what happened. Remember?! Last night a waitress ran into my arm with her tray," she claimed refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead.

He scoffed at his partner's lie. "Would you stop lying?" he yelled disbelievingly. "How do you get a hand shaped bruise from someone bumping into you with a tray? I mean really Temperance. If you're going to lie at least try and have it make sense!" he spat at her.

The way he had said her given name took the wind right out of her. Every other time he'd called her by her full first name was in an intimate moment and always said lovingly. This was the first time Booth had said it in a condescending and mean manner. It hurt. Probably worse than anything he'd ever said to her. In fact, it hurt her so much that it caused tears to immediately start pooling in her eyes. "You're were driving Booth and had to pay attention to the road. There was no way you could've given it your full attention and really looked at it. You're mistaken. It's not in the shape of a handprint. How could it be? No one grabbed me! I'm fine Booth! EVERYTHING IS FINE!" Bones lied to him for what felt like the millionth time that day. Every lie that left her lips made her feel more and more guilty.

"You're lying…_again_. You claim to be honest and blunt, but in reality," Seeley argued. He turned, making eye contact with his partner and glowered, "you're a liar." There was such venom to his voice when he said it that it felt like he'd literally just stabbed her.

Calling her a liar like that was the last straw. Her blood boiled, "All this time you told me that you would never hurt me. You promised. But by calling me a liar you are not only questioning my track record and friendship with you, but my character. It's incredibly obvious that you don't trust me. If you can't believe me when I tell you that nothing's wrong after everything we've been through and after all our time together then maybe we shouldn't be partners. Maybe the FBI was right to want to split us up. You're too alpha male for this to work. Why can't you realize that I'm an incredibly intelligent, beautiful, and successful woman that can take care of myself?" she shouted.

The second the words were out of his mouth Booth regretted them. _How could I be so stupid? If only I could take them back. She just got me so mad! It was like she was trying to get a rise out of me or something! _He prayed and hoped her reaction to him calling her a liar wouldn't be as bad as he thought, unfortunately God didn't seem to be listening to him at that very moment. Hearing her suggest they no longer be partners caused his blood to run cold. That was the _last_ thing he wanted to happen. They'd fought before. They could get past this. They just needed time. That's all. _I can't be partnered with someone else. I __**need**__ Bones! We are meant to be partners! When did this conversation take such a bad turn? Can we backtrack or something? What do I say to her? If I don't say something soon she's gonna think that this is what I want! __**I don't**__! All I want is to be around her…all the time! This won't work for me! I've gotta do something to fix this. Maybe if I stop the car, so we can really talk about this. _He thought about it. _Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do._ Booth put his right blinker on, signaling to near cars that he would be changing lanes. Finally getting to the farthest right lane, he slowed the FBI issued vehicle down and pulled over. Instead of putting his emergency lights on (commonly returned to as "flashers") Seeley flipped the switch to turn the red and blue flashing lights on, but without a siren.

When he first began changing lanes to the right Tempe was confused. _Where is he going? I thought we were going to the Jeffersonian? _Her eyes widened as he pulled onto the side of the road. _What the hell is he doing? Why did he stop? Maybe there's something wrong with the car? _Thinking that would be the only reason he'd pull over at a moment like this she asked, "Why did you pull over? Is something wrong with the car?"

"Because Bones. You and I. We need to talk. A serious talk. A talk that I refuse to have while driving," he answered her.

"And this discussion cannot wait until we arrive back at the Jeffersonian?" Brennan questioned.

"No. No it cannot. We are getting this over with now," he replied, somewhat shortly. She responded only by crossing her arms. "Take the jacket off Bones," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" she asked disbelievingly. _Did he really just command me to do something? Who does he think he is?_

"You heard me. Take the jacket off. We are going to settle this here and now."

"No. I will not. This is the problem. You can't have everything you want! You don't need to know every little thing that happens to me. Or every thought I have. And I'm sure as hell not going to take my jacket off because you told me to! Are you serious right now? Don't be a child Booth!" she snarled.

"Me? Be a child? Are you kidding me? You've acted like a pissed off teenager all day! And why? I don't know because you won't tell me! I'm not your father Bones! I'm not going to abandon you. How many times do I have to tell you this? It's times like these that I start to think you're hopeless. That no matter what I do you're never gonna let me in!" For the second time in this conversation he'd taken it too far. Seeley inwardly cringed as he watched the change of emotions on her face. She went from disbelief, to anger, to nothing. She had shut down completely.

"Drive," Brennan softly spoke. The sound of her voice sent chills down his spine.

"No," he had to fix this. He just had to.

"Drive. Now," Brennan repeated herself, this time with more anger. She didn't know how long she could be in the car with him, sharing the same small space. Beginning to feel her chest tighten she pulled at her collar for the second time in the last few minutes. _This is the __**last**__ time I wear a turtleneck. I either need to get out of here or get some air. I don't know how much longer I can be in the same vicinity as Booth. _Reaching for the handle of the door she told him, "Well then, if you're not going to drive, I'm going to walk. I have things to do. Agent Booth," saying his name and title as if it was an afterthought. Like she was mocking him. With that said she threw the door open and began walking in the direction of the Jeffersonian not even bothering to close the car door.

_Are you kidding me? This is something a teenager would pull! I've tried to get through to her in so many ways today. I tried being the understanding and sweet friend. I've tried joking around with her. I've tried being short with her and I've now tried being an ass. I don't think there's anything else I can do. She's never going to listen to me and tell me what the hell is going on! So, what do I do? Give up? _Booth really didn't want to have to give up. He loved her. Even when she acted like this. It wasn't so much that he was furious with her, sure, he was angry and irritated, but it would pass. It was that he was worried. He had never seen her behave this way. Even after all the terrible things that had happened to Brennan. So, Seeley knew it took a lot to get her to freak out like this. To behave like a child. The thought of what had triggered this behavior scared the hell out of him. Scared him more than anything had ever scared him before. And _that_ said a lot! Deciding against giving up on her, at least for now, he made a last ditch effort and jumped from the car, he too leaving his door wide open. "Bones, stop!" he called to her. Her only answer was to continue walking, and fairly quickly. "Bones!" Still she stalked on. "Temperance!" he begged. Booth figured that if anything was going to get her to stop it would be the use of her given name. When Tempe still didn't stop he knew nothing he could say would do the trick. Picking up his pace in order to catch up to her, he tried his very best to quash the fury slowly rising in him. _Try and calm down Seeley. Yelling at her is only going to cause her to retreat further into her protective shell. In case you hadn't already realized, you idiot! _he chastised himself. Nearing Brennan he reached his arm out, effectively grabbing her. Irrational (something Bones _never_ was) and angry Brennan shook his arm off only for him to grab her once again, this time tighter. As Booth spun her around she sucker punched him in the face. _Are you serious? That is it! I give up! _Although his nose was throbbing and burning and his eyes watering, not to mention the blood running down his face, Seeley refused to let go of his partner holding her now in front of him by both shoulders.

It was really the first time all day, besides the brief moment that morning at her apartment, that the two really made eye contact. He had had a quick opportunity to see the emotions she was hiding from him at her apartment when she finally met his eyes, but that lasted only a few seconds. Booth remembered being stunned by what he'd seen in there that morning, but this time was different. When he looked into the crystal clear blue eyes of his long time partner what he saw brought tears to his own. It took everything he had to gain control over his emotions. He still saw a broke, wounded, devastated woman staring back at him. However, it was the intense betrayal that tore at his heart. _Did I put that there? From our argument? Or is it from whatever happened last night?. I don't know if I can live with myself if I'm the reason she is feeling such betrayal._ Anger, of course, was also evident in Brennan's eyes, but it wasn't the most prominent; that would be the betrayal. After this little insight into his partner's emotional state he slowly and gently dropped his arms from her body. To his surprise Brennan didn't turn on her heels and storm off to the Jeffersonian. "Why'd you punch me in the face Bones?" he asked while he began to dab and wipe at the blood running down his face.

"Because I don't want you to do that," Tempe coldly answered.

"Do what? Touch you?" Booth questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes. Don't ever touch me…again." When she said this he felt as if she was referring to something more than just grabbing her by the arms. It definitely caught his attention and knew it would be weighing heavily on his mind for days to come.

_Well she's definitely shut me out completely. Way to go you dumbass! _he berated himself. _How should I play this? I don't want her to think I'm abandoning her, but with the way she's been constantly trying to pick a fight with me lately I'm thinking that that's what she needs our relationship to be like right now. I mean I don't want it to be this way, but maybe she does. Maybe it's the only way she can handle whatever's happened. All I can do is go along with it. _Booth always believed in following his gut, however in this incidence he did not like what his gut was telling him to do…at all. But his gut had gotten him this far and had never let him down, so he knew he had to follow it. With a heavy heart and raw emotion weighing him down, he did the unthinkable: he gave her what she seemed to want and need. Feigning outrage Seeley took a deep breath and said, "You know what Bones? If you're going to be like this and treat me this way after _everything_ we've been through and after I've proven time and time again that you can trust me and always, always count on me then maybe," he stopped, closing his eyes briefly, taking another deep breath as if the words he was going to say were going to physically hurt him. "Then maybe you're right. Maybe it's time you go back to lab and stay out of the field," he finished.

"What does that mean?" Brennan shakily asked hoping that he wasn't saying what she thought he was.

"It means…I don't think we should be partners anymore." The statement hurt far worse than he ever thought a statement could. It literally felt as if someone was ripping into his heart. _Can I even do this job anymore without her by my side? _

Temperance was dumbfounded. When she suggested they no longer be partners it was said out of anger and frustration. _I didn't really mean it! _she thought. However, the longer she pondered why she'd verbalized it in the first place the more she realized that maybe, just maybe she did mean it.

"If we can't trust each other our lives will be in danger. You'll never be safe with me because _you won't feel safe_. It's not that I can't protect you because, God Temperance, you know I can. But for me to do that you have to let me. It's too dangerous!"

It was the strangest, and most irritating, thing. All day she had been this irrational, emotional, and moody version of the Dr. Temperance Brennan he knew and then just like that she was back to herself, the overly rational and socially awkward Dr. Temperance Brennan, as she simply said, "Alright. That is very rational thinking Booth. I completely understand."

_Wow, I can see she is torn up about no longer being partners. I guess the last 4 years have meant absolutely __**nothing**__ to her, _he thought to himself as he stormed to the driver's side of the car and aggressively climbed behind the wheel. Slamming the door he said, his voice laced with attitude and anger, "It's time you go back to the lab. Where you belong."

"Where I belong? For your information Agent Booth, if I want to be in the field, then I will! We aren't partners anymore, so the period has ended where you get to _try_ and tell me what to do!" Tempe seethed as she stood there sending him an icy stare.

"Whatever Dr. Brennan. Get in the car," he said feigning indifference to her words.

Brennan only stood there continuing to send an intense glare his way. "Look, there is still a case that needs solving. And from the looks of the crime scene we just left, it's going to be a long and hard one. You're probably going to be spending many long days and nights in the lab filling in the missing pieces. The faster you get in this car, the faster you can begin."

Again, Tempe didn't move. "I'm going to count to five and if you aren't in this car by the time I finish I'm leaving without you," Booth impatiently said as he began his counting. "One…"

"I'm not your son Agent Booth. I am a grown…"

"Two."

"woman. A genius at that. I am most definitely…"

"Three."

"not a child!" Brennan spat while he counted.

Tilting his head slightly to the right Booth looked at her obvious that what little patience he had left was wearing thin and retorted, "If you're going to act like a child then don't be surprised when you're treated like one." _I wish she would just get in this damn car already. _Looking directly at Tempe he raised his eyebrows in a sort of "this is your move" kind of way and delivered the next number _loudly_, "FOUR!"

Seeing that she still hadn't made any kind of move towards the car, Seeley put the keys in the ignition and started the car.

Temperance was debating whether she should be stubborn and just walk to work or just get in the car. _I don't want him to think I'm getting in because he threatened to leave me here. The only reason I would get in the car is because he is right about having a job to do. _

Just as Booth reached for his seatbelt and began delivering the first syllable of "five" she opened the door and climbed in. Buckling his safety belt he turned and looked at her, indicating that she needed to buckle up before he started driving. "You know the only reason I got in the car was because you are right about there being a case waiting for us to solve. My job is what's most important to me. I need to begin analyzing the bones immediately," Brennan disclosed as she reached behind her right shoulder for the strap.

His only reply was the SUV lurching into traffic as it made it's way towards the Jeffersonian. Neither one said a word for the entire 20 minute drive to the lab. As Tempe sat there replaying the last 24 hours in her head it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep her tears at bay.

Bones wasn't the only one devastated by what had transpired in the last few hours. The only difference was that Booth felt he was completely in the dark as to why the hell this happened whereas Bones knew what it was all about. Sure, Seeley was sad, but while he drove them to the Jeffersonian it was the anger that made itself evident more than anything else. He was driving unusually fast while weaving in and out of cars. Basically driving how he would of had the sirens been on. He didn't know how else to handle his emotions in the situation other than taking his anger out on the road.

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Again, once you review I'll post the next chapter. I want to make sure the story is going in the right direction! SO **hit the little review button below** and tell me what you think. It takes 10, 15 seconds at the most!

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	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "BONES" or any of the character in the show.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I am soooo sorry this took so long to post. My life has been INSANE the last few months. I promise I will be more on top of updating. Thank you so much for being patient. Trust me, I know how much it sucks when you're totally into a story and then the author takes FOREVER to update or in some circumstances NEVER DOES! I promise I will finish this story! It's going to be a long one, which I always enjoy!

Be sure to review. Reviews always get me hyped up to write more. In fact, it was the people who have sent me messages and reviews lately asking and begging for more chapters that got me to stay up all night and write this chapter. So everyone, THANK THEM! lol

Reminder that thoughts are in _italics_.

Thanks again,  
Laura

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PREVIOUSLY:

His only reply was the SUV lurching into traffic as it made it's way towards the Jeffersonian. Neither one said a word for the entire 20 minute drive to the lab. As Tempe sat there replaying the last 24 hours in her head it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep her tears at bay.

Bones wasn't the only one devastated by what had transpired in the last few hours. The only difference was that Booth felt he was completely in the dark as to why the hell this happened whereas Bones knew what it was all about. Sure, Seeley was sad, but while he drove them to the Jeffersonian it was the anger that made itself evident more than anything else. He was driving unusually fast while weaving in and out of cars. Basically driving how he would of had the sirens been on. He didn't know how else to handle his emotions in the situation other than taking his anger out on the road.

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**CHAPTER 9**

It felt like it took hours to arrive at the Jeffersonian. In reality, with Booth's erratic driving, the usually 20 minute drive took only ten. Ten of the most uncomfortable minutes either partner had experienced in quite a while.

Bones was out of the car and slightly jogging towards the lab before the car was even stopped.

As soon as she stepped foot into the Jeffersonian, Brennan bee-lined it for the safety of her office knowing she couldn't keep the tears at bay any longer. Her entire body was trembling due to her emotional state and she found it extremely difficult to shut the blinds while her hands were practically convulsing. _Come on! Work with me you obnoxious piece of plastic,_ she chastised the wand used to work the blinds in her office. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the emotions from erupting out of her body and the last thing she needed was for her colleagues to see.

As the last little bit of the outside lab disappeared, Tempe dropped the wand letting out the most heart-wrenching noise. Tears streamed down her porcelain face as uncontrollable sobs wracked her body. Knowing her legs would not be able to keep her standing for much longer she began a sort of drunk looking stumble to her desk.

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With Bones out of the car so fast, Booth was left with his thoughts. Taking the keys out of the ignition, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt such despair. Such hopelessness. Such…dread. He placed his hand carefully on his bloody and throbbing nose. _Man she can really punch, _he thought, causing him to briefly smirk before his mind was once again on the morning's events. _I can't believe she doesn't want to be partners anymore. What am I going to do without her? I don't even know if I want to be in the field without her. Funny how I hated being partnered with her in the beginning because I couldn't stand her, but here I am unable to even fathom not working with the one woman I love more than life itself. _He sat there for what felt like an eternity, but was really only two minutes, until he found himself slowly unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting the vehicle. Locking it remotely Booth walked towards the doors to the Jeffersonian. _Maybe she just needs a couple days and then everything will be back to normal, _Booth hoped. However, an uneasy feeling in his gut told him that whatever had happened last night was going to change both of their lives forever.

Once inside the Jeffersonian Booth couldn't help but want to see where his partner was. He knew it wasn't a good idea to approach her after what had just transpired, but he **had** to make sure she was alright. Assuming she was either on the platform or in her office he headed in the general direction of both. Having to pass the platform on the way to her office he saw she was not up there, so he walked silently towards her office. The first thing he noticed as her office came into view was that her blinds were drawn. Fortunately for him she hadn't closed the ones on her glass door allowing him a perfect view of his beautiful Bones. There inside was one of the most disturbing scenes he'd ever seen. In fact, a few tears slipped from his own eyes and made their way slowly down his chiseled cheeks leaving behind a trail of despair. Seeley saw her entire body convulsing as she stumbled towards her desk. It was as if her legs could no longer function because she was shaking so hard. Even from outside the door he could hear the gut wrenching sobs. _What the hell is going on? Is she that upset because I said we shouldn't be partners anymore? I don't understand, she seemed fine with it. Or, is she crying because of whatever's been bothering her all day? I have to figure this out. And the sooner, the better. I don't think I can let this go on too long…who knows what kind of irreparable damage this will cause if it's not straightened out, _Booth thought to himself.

Knowing that if he was to get to the bottom of things he would have to walk away, leaving his devastated partner in her office. At least he knew she was safe there. Turning to hopefully find Angela and question her about last night, he cleared his throat, wiped the remnants of tears off his face, and gathered his composure.

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Agent Booth found Angela in her office, lying on her couch. "Hey Angela?" Booth loudly questioned as he barged through her office doors.

Angela popped up, startled, while grabbing her head. "Jesus Booth! Can you keep it down?" Apparently Booth and Brennan weren't the only ones hung over from last night. _Let's hope Angela remembers more than I do. Like how Bones got home_, Booth thought to himself.

"Sorry Angela. Hey I have a question for you. Do you happen to," unfortunately he was interrupted before he could finish his inquiry.

"Oh my God Booth! What the hell happened to you?" Angela screamed immediately hopping to her feet and making her way towards the special agent.

It took Booth a second to realize what exactly she was referring to. He had been so consumed with trying to figure out what was going on with Brennan that he'd forgotten how bad his face hurt or what he must have looked like for that matter. Reaching out a hand and gently touching his sore, bleeding nose he said, "Nothing. Just a misunderstanding with Bones. Not a good idea to scare her when she's hungover." He figured that was going to be the easiest explanation. He wasn't in the mood to get into everything with Angela. At least not quite yet. Eventually, he was sure, that he'd need her assistance in deciphering the enigma that was Brennan. But for now he left it at that.

"Yeah. I can imagine. Here, let me help you," she replied as she gathered the necessary first aid supplies and went to work cleaning up Booth's wounds.

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The lack of sleep finally hit Brennan. Her body no longer having the energy to shake so violently and her eyes having no more tears left to shed. She had cried so hard and so much that her eyes felt gravelly and dry. If she hadn't been dehydrated from consuming so much alcohol the night before she was most definitely now after expelling what little moisture she had left in her body from crying._I'm sure I must look awful right now_, Brennan thought as she reached in her desk drawer for a mirror. Sure enough, she was correct. _I better clean myself up. I won't be able to stay focused if my colleagues know I've been crying. It will make everything extremely uncomfortable. _Brennan pulled out a small makeup bag from the same drawer and quickly went to work applying just the mere basics. She only needed enough powder and blush to hide the fact that her face was splotchy. Once finished, Tempe used some eye drops in hopes of trying to minimize the redness in her cobalt blue eyes.

Feeling confident, well sort of, with her appearance she slipped her lab coat on, left the safety of her office, and walked towards the platform just as the first few boxes of evidence were being delivered from the crime scene.

_Oh good. I have something to busy myself with. Something to take my mind off of Booth_, she thought to herself. As she finished signing the chain of evidence papers, signifying that she was now in charge of the contents in the boxes, Booth emerged from Angela's office, less bloody than before, with Angela hot on his heels.

He tried catching his partner's attention, but there was no use. Brennan ignored him already immersing herself in their latest case. _I have got to figure out how to fix this_, he thought. And with that he left, leaving "the squints" to what they do best.

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